红楼梦Chapter14
Lin Ju-hai dies in the City of Yang Chou. Chia Pao-yue meets the Prince of Pei Ching on the way.
When Lai Sheng， be it noticed in continuing our story， the major-domo in the Ning Kuo mansion， came to hear that from inside an invitation had been extended to lady Feng to act as deputy， he summoned together his co-workers and other servants. Lady Secunda， of the western mansion， he harangued them， has now been asked to take over the control of internal affairs; and should she come we must， when we apply for anything， or have anything to say， be circumspect in our service; we should all every day come early and leave late; and its better that we should exert ourselves during this one month and take rest after its over. We mustnt throw away our old face， for shes well known to be an impetuous thing， with a soured face and a hard heart， who， when angry， knows no distinction of persons.
the whole company unanimously admitted that he was right; and one of their number too observed smilingly， Its but right that for the inner apartments， we should， in fact， get her to come and put things in proper order， as everything is very much what it should not be.
But while he uttered these words， they saw Lai Wangs wife coming， with an indent in hand， to fetch paper for the supplications and prayers， the amount of which was mentioned on the order; and they one and all hastened to press her into a seat， and to help her to a cup of tea; while a servant was told to fetch the quantity of paper required. (When it was brought，) Lai Wang carried it in his arms and came， the whole way with his wife， as far as the ceremonial gate; when he， at length， delivered it over to her and she clasped it， and walked into the room all alone.
Lady Feng issued prompt directions to Tsai Ming to prepare a register; and sending， there and then， for Lai Shengs wife， she asked her to submit， for her perusal， the roll with the servants names. She furthermore fixed upon an early hour of the following day to convene the domestics and their wives in the mansion， in order that they should receive their orders; but， after cursorily glancing over the number of entries in the list， and making a few inquiries of Lai Shengs wife， she soon got into her curricle， and went home.
On the next day， at six and two quarters， she speedily came over. The matrons and married women of the Ning Kuo mansion assembled together， as soon as they heard of her arrival; but， perceiving lady Feng， assisted by Lai Shengs wife， engaged in apportioning the duties of each servant， they could not presume to intrude， but remained outside the window listening to what was going on.
As Ive been asked to take over the charge， they heard lady Feng explain to Lai Shengs wife， m， needless to say， sure to incur the displeasure of you all， for I cant compare with your mistress， who has such a sweet temper， and allows you to have your own way. But saying nothing more of those ways， which prevailed hitherto among your people in this mansion， you must now do as I tell you; for on the slightest disregard of my orders， I shall， with no discrimination between those who may be respectable and those who may not be， clearly and distinctly call all alike to account.
Having concluded these remarks， she went on to order Tsai Ming to read the roll; and， as their names were uttered， one by one was called in， and passed under inspection. After this inspection， which was got over in a short time， she continued giving further directions. These twenty， she said should be divided into two companies; ten in each company， whose sole daily duties should be to attend inside to the guests， coming and going， and to serve tea for them; while with any other matters， they neednt have anything to do. These other twenty should also be divided into two companies， whose exclusive duties will be， day after day， to look after the tea and eatables of the relatives of our family; and these too will have no business to concern themselves with outside matters. These forty will again be divided into two companies， who will have nothing else to look to than to remain in front of the coffin and offer incense， renew the oil， hang up the streamers， watch the coffin， offer sacrifices of rice， and oblations of tea， and mourn with the mourners; and neither need they mind anything outside these duties. These four servants will be specially attached to the inner tea-rooms to look after cups， saucers and the tea articles generally; and in the event of the loss of any single thing， the four of them will have to make it good between them. These other four servants will have the sole charge of the articles required for eatables and wine; and should any get mislaid compensation will have likewise to be made by them. These eight servants will only have to attend to taking over the sacrificial offerings; while these eight will have nothing more to see to beyond keeping an eye over the lamps， oil， candles and paper wanted everywhere. Ill have a whole supply served out and handed to you eight to by and by apportion to the various places， in quantities which I will determine. These thirty servants are each day， by rotation， to keep watch everywhere during the night， looking after the gates and windows， taking care of the fires and candles， and sweeping the grounds; while the servants， who remain， are to be divided for duty in the houses and rooms， each one having charge of a particular spot. And beginning from the tables， chairs and curios in each place， up to the very cuspidors and brooms， yea even to each blade of grass or sprout of herb， which may be there， the servants looking after this part will be called upon to make good anything that may be either mislaid or damaged. You， Lai Shengs wife， will every day have to exercise general supervision and inspection; and should there be those who be lazy， any who may gamble， drink， fight or wrangle， come at once and report the matter to me; and you mustnt show any leniency， for if I come to find it out， I shall have no regard to the good old name of three or four generations， which you may enjoy. You now all have your fixed duties， so that whatever batch of you after this acts contrary to these orders， I shall simply have something to say to that batch and to no one else. The servants， who have all along been in my service， carry watches on their persons， and things， whether large or small， are invariably done at a fixed time. But， in any case， you also have clocks in your masters rooms， so that at 6.30， I shall come and read the roll， and at ten youll have breakfast. Whenever there is any indent of any permits to be made or any report to be submitted， it should be done at 11.30 a.m. and no later. At 7 p.m.， after the evening paper has been burnt， I shall come to each place in person to hold an inspection; and on my return， the servants on watch for the night will hand over the keys. The next day， I shall again come over at 6.30 in the morning; and needless to say we must all do the best we can for these few days; and when the work has been finished your master is sure to recompense you.
When she had done speaking， she went on to give orders that tea， oil， candles， feather dusters， brooms and other necessaries should be issued， according to the fixed quantities. She also had furniture， such as table-covers， antimacassars， cushions， rugs， cuspidors， stools and the like brought over and distributed; while， at the same time， she took up the pencil and made a note of the names of the persons in charge of the various departments， and of the articles taken over by the respective servants， in entries remarkable for the utmost perspicacity.
the whole body of servants received their charge and left; but they all had work to go and attend to; not as in former times， when they were at liberty to select for themselves what was convenient to do， while the arduous work， which remained over， no one could be found to take in hand. Neither was it possible for them in the various establishments to any longer avail themselves of the confusion to carelessly mislay things. In fact， visitors came and guests left， but everything after all went off quietly， unlike the disorderly way which prevailed hitherto， when there was no clue to the ravel; and all such abuses as indolence， and losses， and the like were completely eradicated.
Lady Feng， on her part， (perceiving) the weight her influence had in enjoining the observance of her directions， was in her heart exceedingly delighted. But as she saw， that Chia Chen was， in consequence of Mrs. Yus indisposition， even so much the more grieved as to take very little to drink or to eat， she daily， with her own hands， prepared， in the other mansion， every kind of fine congee and luscious small dishes， which she sent over， in order that he might be tempted to eat.
And Chia Lien had likewise given additional directions that every day the finest delicacies should be taken into the ante-chamber， for the exclusive use of lady Feng.
Lady Feng was not one to shirk exertion and fatigue， so that， day after day， she came over at the proper time， called the roll， and managed business， sitting all alone in the ante-chamber， and not conGREgating with the whole bevy of sisters-in-law. Indeed， even when relatives or visitors came or went， she did not go to receive them， or see them off.
This day was the thirty-fifth day， the very day of the fifth seven， and the whole company of bonzes had just (commenced the services) for unclosing the earth， and breaking Hell open; for sending a light to show the way to the departed spirit; for its being admitted to an audience by the king of Hell; for arresting all the malicious devils， as well as for soliciting the soul-saving Buddha to open the golden bridge and to lead the way with streamers. The Taoist priests were engaged in reverently reading the prayers; in worshipping the Three Pure Ones and in prostrating themselves before the Gemmy Lord. The disciples of abstraction were burning incense， in order to release the hungered spirits， and were reading the water reGREts manual. There was also a company of twelve nuns of tender years， got up in embroidered dresses， and wearing red shoes， who stood before the coffin， silently reading all the incantations for the reception of the spirit (from the lower regions，) with the result that the utmost bustle and stir prevailed.
Lady Feng， well aware that not a few guests would call on this day， was quick to get out of bed at four sharp， to dress her hair and perform her ablutions. After having completed every arrangement for the day， she changed her costume， washed her hands， and swallowed a couple of mouthfuls of milk. By the time she had rinsed her mouth， it was exactly 6.30; and Lai Wangs wife， at the head of a company of servants， had been waiting a good long while， when lady Feng appeared in front of the Entrance Hall， mounted her carriage and betook herself， preceded by a pair of transparent horn lanterns， on which were written， in large type， the three characters， Jung Kuo mansion， to the main entrance gate of the Ning Household. The door lanterns shed brilliant rays from where they were suspended; while on either side the lanterns， of uniform colours， propped upright， emitted a lustrous light as bright as day.
the servants of the family， got up in their mourning clothes， covered the ground far and wide like a white sheet. They stood drawn in two rows， and requested that the carriage should drive up to the main entrance. The youths retired， and all the married women came forward， and raising the curtain of the carriage， lady Feng alighted; and as with one arm she supported herself on Feng Erh， two married women， with lanterns in their hands， lighted the way. Pressed round by the servants， lady Feng made her entry. The married women of the Ning mansion advanced to GREet her， and to pay their respects; and this over， lady Feng， with graceful bearing， entered the Garden of Concentrated Fragrance. Ascending the Spirit Hall， where the tablet was laid， the tears， as soon as she caught sight of the coffin， trickled down her eyes like pearls whose string had snapped; while the youths in the court， and their number was not small， stood in a reverent posture， with their arms against their sides， waiting to burn the paper. Lady Feng uttered one remark， by way of command： Offer the tea and burn the paper! when the sound of two blows on the gong was heard and the whole band struck up together. A servant had at an early period placed a large armchair in front of the tablet， and lady Feng sat down， and gave way to loud lamentations. Promptly all those， who stood inside or outside， whether high or low， male or female， took up the note， and kept on wailing and weeping until Chia Chen and Mrs. Yu， after a time， sent a message to advise her to withhold her tears; when at length lady Feng desisted.
Lai Wangs wife served the tea; and when she had finished rinsing her mouth， lady Feng got up; and， taking leave of all the members of the clan， she walked all alone into the ante-chamber， where she ascertained， in the order of their names， the number of the servants of every denomination in there. They were all found to be present， with the exception of one， who had failed to appear， whose duties consisted in receiving and escorting the relatives and visitors. Orders were promptly given to summon him， and the man appeared in a dreadful fright. What! exclaimed lady Feng， as she forced a smile， is it you who have been remiss? Is it because youre more respectable than they that you dont choose to listen to my words?
Your servant， he pleaded， has come at an early hour every day; and its only to-day that I come late by one step; and I entreat your ladyship to forgive this my first offence.
While yet he spoke， she perceived the wife of Wang Hsing， of the Jung Kuo mansion， come forward and pop her head in to see what was going on; but lady Feng did not let this man go， but went on to inquire of Wang Hsings wife what she had come for.
Wang Hsings wife drew near. ve come， she explained， to get an order， so as to obtain some thread to make tassels for the carriages and chairs. Saying this， she produced the permit and handed it up， whereupon lady Feng directed Tsai Ming to read the contents aloud. For two large， sedan chairs， he said， four small sedan chairs and four carriages， are needed in all so many large and small tassels， each tassel requiring so many catties of beads and thread.
Lady Feng finding， after she had heard what was read， that the numbers (and quantities) corresponded， forthwith bade Tsai Ming make the proper entry; and when the order from the Jung Kuo mansion had been fetched， and thrown at her， Wang Hsings wife took her departure.
Lady Feng was on the very point of saying something， when she espied four managers of the Jung Kuo mansion walk in; all of whom wanted permits to indent for stores. Having asked them to read out the list of what they required， she ascertained that they wanted four kinds of articles in all. Drawing attention to two items： These entries， she remarked， are wrong; and you had better go again and make out the account clearly， and then come and fetch a permit.
With these words， she flung down the requisitions， and the two men went their way in lower spirits than when they had come.
Lady Feng then caught sight of the wife of Chang Tsai standing by， and asked her what was her business， whereupon Chang Tss wife promptly produced an indent. The covers of the carriages and sedan chairs， she reported， have just been completed， and Ive come to fetch the amount due to the tailors for wages.
Lady Feng， upon hearing her explanation， took over the indent， and directed Tsai Ming to enter the items in the book. After Wang Hsing had handed over the money， and obtained the receipt of the accountant， duly signed， which tallied with the payment， he subsequently walked away in company with Chang Tss wife. Lady Feng simultaneously proceeded to give orders that another indent should be read， which was for money to purchase paper with to paste on the windows of Pao-yues outer school-room， the repairs to which had been brought to completion， and as soon as lady Feng heard the nature of the application， she there and then gave directions that the permit should be taken over and an entry made， and that the money should be issued after Chang Tss wife had delivered everything clearly.
If to-morrow he were to come late， lady Feng then remarked， and if the day after， I were to come late; why by and by therell be no one here at all! I should have liked to have let you off， but if I be lenient with you on this first instance， it will be hard for me， on the occurrence of another offence， to exercise any control over the rest. Its much better therefore that I should settle accounts with you.
the moment she uttered these words， she put on a serious look， and gave orders that he should be taken out and administered twenty blows with the bamboo. When the servants perceived that lady Feng was in an angry mood， they did not venture to dilly-dally， but dragged him out， and gave him the full number of blows; which done， they came in to report that the punishment had been inflicted.
Lady Feng likewise threw down the Ning Mansion order and exclaimed， addressing herself to Lai Sheng： Cut him a months wages and rice! and tell them all to disperse， and have done with it!
All the servants at length withdrew to attend to their respective duties， while the man too， who had been flogged， walked away， as he did all he could to conceal his shame and stifle his tears. About this time arrived and went， in an incessant stream， servants from both the Jung and Ning mansions， bent upon applying for permits and returning permits， and with one by one again did lady Feng settle accounts. And， as in due course， the inmates of the Ning mansion came to know how terrible lady Feng was， each and all were ever since so wary and dutiful that they did not venture to be lazy.
But without going into further details on this subject， we shall now return to Pao-yue. Seeing that there were a lot of people about and fearing lest Chin Chung might receive some offence， he lost no time in coming along with him to sit over at lady Fengs. Lady Feng was just having her repast， and upon seeing them arrive： Your legs are long enough， and couldnt you have come somewhat quicker! she laughingly observed.
Weve had our rice， thanks， replied Pao-yue.
Have you had it， inquired lady Feng， outside here， or over on the other side?
Would we eat anything with all that riff-raff? exclaimed Pao-yue; weve really had it over there; in fact， I now come after having had mine with dowager lady Chia.
As he uttered these words， they took their seats. Lady Feng had just finished her meal， when a married woman from the Ning mansion came to get an order to obtain an advance of money to purchase incense and lanterns with.
I calculated， observed lady Feng， that you would come to-day to make requisition， but I was under the impression that you had forgotten; had you really done so you would certainly have had to get them on your own account， and I would have been the one to benefit.
Didnt I forget? I did， rejoined the married woman as she smiled; and its only a few minutes back that it came to my mind; had I been one second later I wouldnt have been in time to get the things.
these words ended， she took over the order and went off. Entries had， at the time to be made in the books， and orders to be issued， and Chin Chung was induced to interpose with a smirk， In both these mansions of yours， such orders are alike in use; but were any outsider stealthily to counterfeit one and to abscond， after getting the money， what could ever be done?
In what you say， replied lady Feng， you take no account of the laws of the land.
How is it that from our house， no one comes to get any orders or to obtain anything? Pao-yue having inquired： At the time they come to fetch them， rejoined lady Feng， youre still dreaming; but let me ask you one thing， when will you two at last begin your evening course of studies?
Oh， I wish we were able to begin our studies this very day， Pao-yue added; that would be the best thing， but theyre very slow in putting the school-room in order， so that theres no help for it!
Lady Feng laughed. Had you asked me， she remarked， I can assure you it would have been ready quick enough.
You too would have been of no use， observed Pao-yue， for it will certainly be ready by the time they ought to finish it in.
But in order that they should do the work， suggested lady Feng， its also necessary that they should have the material， they cant do without them; and if I dont give them any permits， it will be difficult to obtain them.
