Dream of the Red Chamber - Complete Edition with Illustrations

Author: (Qing) Cao Xueqin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Zixing sighed, "It's exactly about these two! Let me tell you: The late Ningguo Gong had two brothers born of the same mother. Ning Gong was the elder, and he had two sons. After Ning Gong's death, the eldest son, Jia Daihua, inherited the position, and he also had two sons. The eldest son was named Jia Fu, who died at the age of eight or nine, leaving only the second son, Jia Jing, who inherited the position. Now, Jia Jing is solely devoted to Taoism, loving to burn elixirs and refine mercury, and pays no attention to anything else. Fortunately, he left an early son named Jia Zhen, as his father was and wanted the position to be inherited by him. His father also refused to return to his original hometown and stayed outside the city in the company of Taoists. This young master Zhen also had a son, who is only sixteen this year and named Jia Rong. Now that Jia Jing is no longer managing affairs, where is young master Zhen going to handle the business? He is only indulging in pleasure, turning the Ningguo Mansion upside down, and no one dares to manage it.
Let me tell you about the Rong Mansion—this is where the strange incident just mentioned occurred: Since the late Rong Gong's death, his eldest son, Jia Daishan, inherited the position. He married the daughter of the Shih family, a prominent family from Jinling, as his wife and had two sons: the eldest named Jia She, and the second named Jia Zheng. Now, Jia Daishan has passed away, and the grandmother is still alive. The eldest son, Jia She, has inherited the position but is an average person and does not manage the household affairs. Only the second son, Jia Zheng, has always loved reading since childhood and is upright and. His grandfather loved him dearly and originally wanted him to take the imperial examinations. However, when Jia Daishan was on his deathbed, he submitted a memorial, and the emperor, out of pity for the deceased minister, ordered the eldest son to inherit the position. When asked if there were any other sons, they were immediately introduced, and the emperor granted Jia Zheng an additional position as a chief clerk, sending him to the Ministry to study. He has now been promoted to a vice director.
The wife of Jia Zheng, Wang Shi, had her first child, a son named Jia Zhu, who entered school at the age of fourteen. Later, he married and had a son, but he died of an illness before reaching twenty. The second child was a daughter, born on the first day of the Chinese New Year, which was already strange. Later, she gave birth to another son, who was even more extraordinary. As soon as he was born, he held a colorful, crystal-clear jade in his mouth, along with many inscriptions. You would say it's news, wouldn't you?
Yucun laughed, "Truly extraordinary. I'm afraid this person's background is not ordinary." Zixing sneered, "Everyone says so, and thus his grandmother loves him as a treasure. When he was one year old, Jia Zheng tested his future aspirations by laying out countless objects for him to choose from. But he ignored everything and only picked up cosmetics and hairpins to play with. Jia Zheng disapproved, saying he would only be a hedonist, and thus did not value him much. Only the grandmother treated him as her most precious treasure.
It's even stranger that when he was seven or eight years old, although he was extremely mischievous, he was also exceptionally intelligent and perceptive, far surpassing others. When he spoke of children, he said, 'Girls are made of water, while boys are made of mud. When I see girls, I feel refreshed, but when I see boys, I feel repelled by their stench!' You would say it's funny, wouldn't you? He is undoubtedly a hedonist in the future."
Yucun listened in astonishment and said sternly, "Not at all! If you only knew this person's background, you wouldn't make such a mistake. Jia Zheng, the elder, has also misjudged him as a lustful demon! Without extensive reading, understanding of matters, and the effort of self-cultivation and enlightenment, one cannot comprehend this."
Zixing, seeing how serious Yucun was, asked, "May I ask why?"
Yucun replied, "Among all people born into this world, except for those of great virtue or great evil, there is little difference. Those of great virtue are born in the right time, while those of great evil are born in the wrong time. The right time brings peace, while the wrong time brings chaos. Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, Wu, Zhou, Zhao, Confucius, Mencius, Dong Zhongshu, Han Yu, Zhou Dunyi, Cheng Yi, Zhu Xi, and Zhang Zai were all born in the right time. While Chiyou, Gongsun, Jie, Zhou, Qin Shi Huang, Wang Mang, Cao Cao, Huan Wen, An Lushan, and Qin Hui were born in the wrong time. Those of great virtue govern the world, while those of great evil disrupt it.
Clarity and brightness are the pure essence of heaven and earth, cherished by the virtuous. Cruelty and strangeness are the corrupt essence of heaven and earth, cherished by the evil. In this era of lasting fortune and peace, the pure essence of clarity and brightness is everywhere, from the court to the common people. The remaining essence flows freely, nourishing the world like sweet dew and gentle breezes. The corrupt essence, unable to spread under the bright sun, gathers in deep valleys. Occasionally, when stirred by the wind or crushed by clouds, a strand or two escapes, only to encounter the pure essence when it passes by. The pure cannot tolerate the corrupt, and the corrupt envies the pure, leading to a clash like water and fire, lightning and thunder. Once released, the corrupt essence must attach itself to a person. If a man or woman is born with this essence, they cannot become virtuous or noble on the top, nor can they become extremely evil on the bottom. Placed among thousands of people, their clarity and brightness surpass those of others, while their cruelty and strangeness are inferior to those of others. If born into a noble or wealthy family, they become lovers of romance or eccentric scholars. If born into a scholarly or poor family, they become reclusive scholars or famous courtesans. They will never become common laborers or servants, willingly subjected to the control of mediocre men.
Take Xu You, Tao Yuanming, Ruan Ji, Ji Kang, Liu Ling, the two clans of Wang and Xie, Gu Huatou, Chen Houzhu, Tang Minghuang, Song Huizong, Liu Tingzhi, Wen Feiqing, Mi Nan Gong, Shi Manqing, Liu Qiqing, and the like. Recently, Ni Yunlin, Tang Bohu, Zhu Zhishan, Li Guiyan, Huang Fanchuo, Jing Xinmo, Zhu Wenjun, Hong Fo, Xue Tao, Cui Ying, and Chao Yun. All of these are the same people if they were to be born in different places.
Zixing asked, "According to you, 'Success leads to nobility, failure leads to villainy'?"
Yucun replied, "Exactly. You still don't know that since I was dismissed from my position two years ago, I have traveled through various provinces and encountered two extraordinary children. That's why when you mentioned Baoyu just now, I guessed he was of this same kind. Don't mention faraway places—just take the Jincheng City, where the Chief Censor of the Jinling Shiyin Yuan, Zhen Jia, do you know him?"
Zixing replied, "Who doesn't know? The Zhen family is an old relative of the Jia family, and their relationship is extremely close. I have also interacted with them for many days."
Yucun laughed, "Last year, when I was in Jincheng, someone recommended me to teach at the Zhen family's academy. When I went to see the situation, I found that their family was extremely prosperous but was a 'wealthy and polite' household, making it a rare and desirable position. However, this student, though still in his early education, was more exhausting to teach than a candidate for the imperial examinations. The funniest part is that he said, 'I must have two girls to accompany me while studying, or I won't be able to recognize characters or understand things. Otherwise, I'll be confused in my heart.' He often told his little servants, 'The word 'girl' is extremely noble and pure, more precious than rare animals, precious birds, or exotic flowers and grasses. You must not use vulgar language when speaking of it. It's very important! When you must mention it, you must rinse your mouth with clean water and fragrant tea first. If you make a mistake, you will suffer toothache and eye pain.' His cruelty and stubbornness were extraordinary. Even after being beaten severely several times, he would still call his sisters 'elder sister' and 'younger sister' in pain. Later, he heard the girls inside laughing at him, 'Why, when you're in pain, do you keep calling sisters? Don't you dare ask your sisters to beg for mercy? Aren't you ashamed!' He replied cleverly, 'When in pain, calling 'elder sister' and 'younger sister' might relieve the pain. After calling once, I found it did help, so I've found a secret method. Whenever I'm in extreme pain, I call my sisters!' You would say it's funny, wouldn't you? Because his grandmother loved him too much and didn't know how to raise him, she often scolded the teachers for his behavior, which is why I left the academy. Such a young master will never inherit his ancestors' legacy or listen to the advice of his teachers and friends. It's a pity that his several good sisters are rare!"
Zixing said, "The three sisters in the Jia family are no exception. The eldest daughter of Jia Zheng, Yuan Chun, was chosen for the imperial court as a female historian due to her virtue, filial piety, and talent. The second daughter is the daughter of Jia She's concubine and is named Ying Chun. The third daughter is Jia Zheng's illegitimate child and is named Tanchun. The fourth daughter is the younger sister of Ning Gong's Zhen and is named Xichun. Because the grandmother of the Shih family loves her grandchildren very much, they all stay with her to study, and each of them is excellent."
Yucun said, "The most interesting thing is that in the Zhen family, the names of the daughters are also derived from the names of the sons, unlike other families that use 'Chun,' 'Hong,' 'Xiang,' or 'Yu' as beautiful names. How did the Jia family also fall into this custom?"
Zixing replied, "Not at all. Because the eldest daughter was born on the first day of the Chinese New Year, she is named Yuan Chun. The others follow the 'Chun' character. The previous generation also followed the names of the brothers. There is evidence: The wife of your esteemed landlord, Lin Gong, is the sister of Jia She and Jia Zheng in the Rong family. Her name was Jia Min when she was at home. If you don't believe it, you can go back and check."
Yucun clapped his hands and laughed, "Exactly! My female student's name is Daiyu, and whenever she encounters the character 'Min,' she pronounces it as 'Mi,' and when writing, she often shortens or omits the character 'Min.' I have often been puzzled by this. Now, after hearing you say this, it's no wonder. No wonder my female student's speech and behavior are so different from ordinary women. I guessed her mother was extraordinary, so she gave birth to this daughter. Now that I know she is the granddaughter of the Rong family, it's no surprise. It's a pity that her mother passed away last month!"
Zixing sighed, "The three older sisters are already gone, and now the youngest sister is also gone! There are no older sisters left! We can only wait and see how the younger generation will turn out."
Yucun said, "Exactly. Just now, I mentioned that Jia Zheng has a jade-born son, and he also has a young grandson from his eldest son. Jia She has no children at all?"
Zixing replied, "Jia Zheng has had a jade-born son, and his concubine has given birth to another. I don't know how good he is. Currently, he has two sons and a grandson, but I don't know what will happen in the future. As for Jia She, he also has two sons. The eldest, Jia Lian, is already over twenty years old. He married the niece of Jia Zheng's wife, Wang Shi, and has been married for two years. This young master Jia Lian has donated a position as a Tongzhi, and he is not fond of studying but is good at navigating the world and is eloquent. Therefore, he is currently living with his uncle, Jia Zheng, to help manage the household. But since he married this young mistress, everyone praises her, and Jia Lian has regressed. She is not only beautiful in appearance but also quick-witted and deeply calculating, truly unmatched by any man."
Yucun laughed and said, "As I said, my words are not wrong. The people we just mentioned may all be from the same group of people with both virtuous and corrupt essences."
Zixing said, "Whether they are virtuous or corrupt, you're only counting other people's affairs. You should have a drink too."
Yucun replied, "I was so busy talking that I already had a few more cups."
Zixing laughed, "Talking about other people's is the perfect time for a drink. It's no harm to have a few more cups."
Yucun looked out the window and said, "It's getting late. Let's close the city gates carefully and enter the city slowly to continue our conversation."
Thus, the two stood up and settled the bill. Just as they were about to leave, someone called from behind, "Brother Yucun, congratulations! I've come to bring some good news."
Yucun quickly turned back—to find out who it was, listen to the next chapter.