Beginning of Spring is exalted by Imperial favor and chosen to be Mistress of the Phoenix Palace. Chin Chung sets out prematurely on his journey to the Yellow Springs.

Beginning of Spring is exalted by Imperial favor and chosen to be

Mistress of the Phoenix Palace. Chin Chung sets out prematurely on his

journey to the Yellow Springs.

WHEN THE BIRTHDAY OF CHIA CHENG WAS BEING CELEBRATED

in the Yungkuo palace by a great family banquet, a doorkeeper ap‐ 

peared suddenly in the midst of the feasting and announced excitedly:

"The chief Imperial eunuch, Hsia, superintendent of the six royal

harems, is outside. He bears an Imperial message/'

The announcement naturally put the whole company into a state of

commotion. The banquet and the theatrical performance were aban‐ 

doned at once. The male heads of the families hastened to the great

reception hall, where they gathered around an incense table which was

specially reserved for receiving Imperial messages; an order was given

to open the center panels of all the doors for the Imperial ambassador,

and the company, kneeling in devout silence, awaited the arrival of the

chief eunuch. He was already approaching on horseback, accompanied

by a large retinue of under‐eunuchs. He dismounted in front of the en‐ 

trance to the great hall and, with a smile on his face, mounted the steps

leading to the south front of the hall. There he remained standing, and

did not, as expected, produce a written decree, but simply announced:

"At the command of the Most High One, Master Chia Cheng shall pro‐ 

ceed at once to the Hall of Respectful Approach for an audience."

Having pronounced this brief message, he left forthwith without even

taking a sip of tea. Everyone was puzzled. Was the mysterious message

to be interpreted favorably or unfavorably? But Mr. Cheng had no time

to consider the matter at length. He changed quickly into Court attire,

got in his carriage, and hastened to the palace.

Tortured with uncertainty, the Princess Ancestress sent one mounted

messenger after another at short intervals after him. Nevertheless, she

had to wait two double hours before any news arrived. At last four

breathless, gasping servants reached, all at the same time, the inner gate

which led to the apartments of the Princess Ancestress.

"Good news!" they cried from a distance. "Our master asks the old

Tai tai to go at once to the Imperial Palace together with the other

ladies of the house, to render thanks for Imperial favor."

The Princess Ancestress, who happened at the time to be pacing up

and down the covered corridor of the inner courtyard with the other

ladies, all of them in the same state of restiveness and expectation,

beckoned the eldest of the four servants, one Lai Ta, and asked for

more detailed information.

"We only got as far as the outer porch in front of the audience hall,"

reported Lai Ta. "From there we could not hear what was going on in‐ 

side. But then the chief eunuch Hsia came out and informed us that our

house had met with great good fortune, for the eldest daughter of our

house had been raised t the rank of a 'noble and virtuous' Imperial

wife of the first rank and appointed mistress of the Phoenix Palace.

Later our master himself came out for a moment, confirmed this news,

and ordered us to come as quickly as possible and call the old Tai tai to

an audience of thanks in the palace."

This happy news freed the ladies from all their anxious doubts, and

proud joy was visible on every face. The Princess Ancestress and the

Princesses Shieh and Chen and Madame Cheng all hastened to attire

themselves in the ceremonial robes proper to their rank, mounted four

large litters, and proceeding like a shoal of fishes, one after the other,

set out for the Imperial Palace. The Princes Shieh and Chen followed

behind with Chia Yung and Chia Chiang.

Only one person remained untouched by the joyful spirits which had

taken possession of all the inhabitants of the Yungkuo and Ningkuo

palaces, both masters and servants, and that was Pao Yu. For he was

oppressed with anxiety for his friend Chin Chung, who had come back

grievously ill from his two‐day visit to the Convent of the Watery

Moon. He had always been a delicate youth, and he had to do penance

now with a severe feverish cold for his surreptitious nocturnal journeys

to Chi Neng's cell, and the sudden change from the warmth of his bed

to the cold night air, and since his return from the country he had

been confined to bed. Mental excitement contributed to make his condi‐ 

tion worse. Urged by longing to see him, Chi Neng had paid him a

secret visit one day, but unfortunately she encountered his father, who

drove her from his threshold with words of abuse. Chin Chung had

come in for a beating too; but the old gentleman had died of excitement

a few days later. Now, alas too late, Chin Chung repented of his fri‐ 

volity. Bitter self‐reproach and grief for the loss of his father weakened

his physical resistance utterly, he felt more wretched day by day, and

was slowly and steadily pining away.

That was why Pao Yu could work up no enthusiasm for the good for‐ 

tune of his sister, Beginning of Spring. He did not take the smallest part

in all the excitements of those days his father's and mother's and

grandmother's audience with the Son of Heaven, and the visits of

congratulation paid by relatives and friends. Weary and indifferent, he

sat moping in his room, and when anyone teased or reproved him for

his strange behavior he became irritable and shut himself off still more

from the company of the others.

There was only one thing which could cheer him up a bit, and that

was the return of Black Jade. Her father, Ling Ju Hai, had died in the

meantime, and after the obsequies had been carried through and the

inheritance put in order with the help of her cousin Chia Lien, the two

cousins had returned together to the capital.

"Now she will never leave you again," Phoenix had said with a smile

to Pao Yu, on Black Jade's return. The reunion of Pao Yu and his now

completely orphaned cousin was joyful and sorrowful at the same time,

and tears flowed freely on both sides. After the parting of several

months, Pao Yu found Black Jade considerably more mature and far

more beautiful and attractive than before. She had brought back a

whole library of books with her, and also various graceful objects for

the writing table, and these she shared out among her cousins and Pao

Yu. Wishing to show himself grateful, Pao Yu sought to honor her with

a gift of the prayer chaplet which the Prince of the Northern Quietness

had given him, but his gift‐ did not please Black Jade at all. It immedi‐ 

ately roused her jealousy of the Prince.

"Shall I thank you for a thing that has been worn already by a

strange man?" she cried disdainfully, flinging the chaplet on the

ground. He picked it up and took it back in silence.

Phoenix and her husband Chia Lien naturally had a great deal to tell

each other the first day of their reunion. Phoenix had just finished her

long repprt of her seven weeks in charge of the Ningkuo palace when

the little handmaiden Ping stuck her head in the door. When she saw

that Chia Lien was there she stopped short and was just about to disap‐ 

pear .again.

"What is it?" Phoenix called after her.

"Nothing special. Mrs. Hsueh of the Pear Garden sent Sister Lotus

over for some information. I have already given it to her and she has

gone away again," replied Little Ping, slipping out again.

"Lotus? Is not that the charming young slave whom Cousin Hsueh

Pan bought in Ying tien shortly before coming here?" remarked Chia

Lien with a smirk. "When I was over in the Pear Garden just now pay‐

ing my respects to Aunt Hsueh on my return, I saw a strikingly pretty

young thing there. I had never seen her before, and then I heard from

Aunt Hsueh that she was that girl, Lotus. She looked really quite en‐ 

chanting. What a pity that she belongs to Cousin Hsueh Pan. She is far

too good for the fool!"

"My word! Here's a man just back from a long journey. He has had

a surfeit of beautiful women in Suchow and Hanchow, and still he is not

satisfied!" said Phoenix laughing. "Well, then, if you find little Lotus so

charming, you shall have her. I have only to exchange her for our Little

Ping and bring her over here for myself. I believe Cousin Hsueh Pan is

tired of her already. He is one of those insatiable and fickle men who

while they are eating one dish always keep watching for the next. He

nearly talked his mother to death to persuade her to give him the girl.

Aunt Hsueh gave in at last, and handed him over the little one with all

due solemnity to be his concubine. And she's not an ordinary slave girl

at all, but seems in her whole person and in all her ways to be more like

a well‐brought‐up girl from a good family. But the fellow hardly had her

two weeks when he ceased even to look at her, and threw her on the

scrap‐heap like all the crowd of cheap, ordinary girls he has had. I am

really sorry for the poor thing ! "

Chia Lien had no chance to reply, for a servant came in to call him to

his father, Prince Shieh, who awaited him in the library. When he was

gone Phoenix called her little maid, Ping.

"What did Aunt Hsueh want when she sent Lotus over just now?"

she asked.

"She wanted nothing and she sent nobody over. I was just fibbing a

bit, but it was a white lie," replied the maid with a sly smile. "Lai

Wang's wife came to bring you some interest. Could the stupid creature

not have found a more suitable time to do it? She had to blunder in

just when your husband was there, and she did it purposely so that he

should get to know of your business and learn that you have private

funds at your disposal. If he knew that he would be even more spend‐ 

thrift than he is already. Luckily, I was able to intercept old Mrs. Wang

just in time and get the money from her."

"Bravo! You have acted most cleverly!" said Phoenix appreciatively.

"I was really wondering what on earth should have made Aunt Hsueh

interrupt my first chat with my husband so rudely and inconsiderately."

After a little time Chia Lien returned, and just after that in came

Mother Chao, his old nurse, to welcome him home after his long ab‐ 

sence. She was most cordially invited to sit down, food and drink were

served to her, and Phoenix settled down to listen to her conversation.

But Chia Lien only half listened to her leisurely chatter; he ate and

drank in an absent‐minded way, and his thoughts were obviously else‐

where. Would they please excuse him for not taking part in the conver‐ 

sation, but he was in a hurry and had to go over at once for an impor‐ 

tant discussion with Prince Chen, so he said.

"Do not let us detain you, but what had the old gentleman to discuss

with you just a little time ago?" asked Phoenix.

"He spoke about the coming visit of filial reverence."

"Has the visit been already approved by the Court?"

"Not yet formally. But it is as good as certain."

"Is it really?" cried Phoenix, joyfully. "That would indeed be a quite

new and unprecedented act of grace on the part of our present mon‐ 

arch, and one of which there is no record either in our historical annals

or in our theatrical pieces."

"What is all this talk about?" asked Mother Chao stupidly. "For the

past few days I have heard everyone here talking and chattering about

a visit of filial reverence, but I have grown dull from old age and I

could not make head or tail of all the talk."

"I will explain the matter to you," said Chia Lien. "Our present Son

of Heaven is a great advocate of filial reverence. He regards the respect‐ 

ful attitude of children to their parents as a universal law of nature

which is binding upon the whole human race regardless of difference of

class; and he considers that the maintenance of filial reverence is the

most important duty of a wise government, because by it human society

can be kept in order in the simplest, most natural way. Our reigning

monarch himself shines forth with good example in this respect by sur‐ 

rounding his aged parents, their former Majesties, with every conceiv‐ 

able sign of filial love, day and night. And yet he considers that he does

not fulfill his filial duty as completely as he would wish to do, so stern

and exalted are his ideals.

"Now, he has come to the conclusion that his wives and secondary

wives and other worthy persons who dedicate their lives to the service

of the palace are hindered in the expression of their natural feelings of

filial reverence and must suffer spiritually by their long years of separa‐ 

tion from their fathers and mothers, and that the parents, on their part,

who pine for the daughters who have been torn from them have much

to endure from this state of things. He has decided that the divinely

appointed harmony which should reign in human society is severely in‐ 

jured by this. Moved by these considerations, he has had a memo‐ 

randum presented to his parents, their former Majesties, in which he

has suggested that parents of the Imperial wives shall be permitted in

future to come to the palace to visit their daughters on the second and

sixth days of each month alternately.

"Their former Imperial Majesties were most deeply moved by this

suggestion, the noble motives of which they fully recognized, but they

expressed the fear that such private visits of relatives might be detri‐ 

mental to the majesty and dignity of the Imperial Palace. In a decree

which has been published they have now made the alternative ruling

that the Imperial wives and secondary wives should be permitted, 6n

request, to visit their parents, provided that the parents have at their

disposal suitable separate apartments for the worthy reception and

accommodation of an inmate of the Imperial Palace and her suite.

"As can be imagined, this gracious decree has been greeted every‐ 

where with tears of joy. The Emperor's secondary wives Chou and Wu

are the first who will avail of this grace of the All Highest. Their respec‐ 

tive fathers are already busily preparing a worthy place to receive them

on their visit."

"Holy Buddha!" exclaimed Mother Chao. "Then we also shall have

to get ready here for a visit from the eldest daughter of the house?"

"Yes, naturally," replied Chia Lien, smiling. "Otherwise why would

there be so many important matters to discuss and consult about?"

"That is splendid! Now I shall at last get a glimpse of the world of

the great!" cried Phoenix joyfully. "I have always bemoaned my mis‐ 

fortune in having come into the world several years too late. If I were

twenty or‐ thirty years older I would not have had to stay at home here,

being treated as a stupid, inexperienced child. I too would have seen

the first ruler of our present dynasty when he made his celebrated

journey through the kingdom, in order, following the example of the

Emperor Shun of old, to see for himself how justice was being adminis‐ 

tered. To really take part in something like that is so much more inter‐ 

esting than any learning from Head books."

"Yes, indeed, something like that happens only once in a thousand

years. I well remember what you are referring to," interjected Mother

Chao, eagerly. "Our Chia family lived at that time in the neighborhood

of Suchow and Hanchow and had charge of the Imperial wharves and

dykes. I was present when the Son of Heaven was received in those

parts. Oh, indeed, a reception like that swallows a whole heap of

money."

"On that occasion my grandfather received the Son of Heaven in his

house," declared Phoenix proudly. "He was Commissar for Tributes

and for Foreign Relations at that time. All tributes from foreign coun‐ 

tries passed through his hands, and all ambassadors from abroad had

to dismount at his house first. An immense amount of goods and treas‐ 

ures which foreign ships brought from the southern ports came into the

possession of our family in those days."

A servant entered and announced the two nephews, Chia Yung and

Chia Chiang, from the Ningkuo palace. They were let in.

"Father sends you word, Uncle, that the land for the reception has

already been measured and marked out," announced Chia Yung. "It

unites the park of the eastern palace and that of the western one and

measures three and a half li wide, therefore it is quite sufficient for a

dignified place of reception for the distinguished visitor. An architect

has already been instructed to prepare the sketches of the necessary

buildings, and he will present his plans tomorrow. As Father assumes

that you are tired from your journey, he asks us to say that you need

not trouble to come over today; and would you please postpone your

visit until tomorrow morning if you wish to discuss anything."

"Tell vour father that I thank him very much for his kind considera‐ 

tion and I shall not go over until tomorrow morning," replied Chia

Lien. "Tell him that I agree fully regarding the place that has been

arranged; it seems to me to be a most fortunate arrangement in every

way. It will save us very considerable expense as it obviates the neces‐ 

sity of acquiring a piece of ground specially for this one visit."

Chia Chiang then stepped forward and began to speak.

"I have been instructed to travel to Suchow," he said, "and there to

entrust capable agents with the task of finding outstandingly accom‐ 

plished young dancing girls as well as musical instruments and theater

requisites. Two sons of the majordomo Lai Sheng will accompany me,

anc 3 . Uncle asks you to please give me two of your people as well."

Chia Lien measured the youthful speaker with a critical eye. "Can

you trust yourself to carry out this task, worthy nephew?" he asked.

"True, it is not an immense one, but all the same . . ." he remarked

somewhat sarcastically.

Chia Chiang, who was standing right beside Phoenix outside the ra‐ 

dius of the lamplight, plucked her dress surreptitiously. Phoenix under‐ 

stood the hint.

"You are overanxious," she said to her husband with a reassuring

smile. "Cousin Chen is surely able to judge better than we are who are

suitable persons to whom to entrust his commissions. The boys are no

longer children, and even if they have not yet probed the mystery of the

taste of roast pork, they have at least already seen a live pig running

about the road and they know what it looks like in its living state. And

after all, Uncle Chen has only sent them into the fray as standard‐ 

bearers. He hardly expects them to wage the battle themselves; in other

words, to bargain over prices with the agents. That is what our people

will be there for. Let them go ! They will get on all right."

"Very well, I have no objections," Chia Lien assured her. "But per‐ 

haps I can help them with some advice.

"Where are you getting the necessary funds from?" he asked, turn‐ 

ing to Chia Chiang.

"Our princely master has already instructed us regarding that," re‐

plied Chia Chiang. "We do not need to take any money from the funds

here, as the Chia family has a credit of fifty thousand silver taels with

the Chen family in Kiang nan, where we shall be stopping on our jour‐ 

ney. He will give us a draft for thirty thousand taels, with which we can

draw on this credit. The remaining twenty thousand taels will be used

later for the purchase of lanterns, colored candles, banners, pennants,

cloth for curtains, and other festive decorations."

Chia Lien nodded approvingly. Phoenix decided upon two sons of

Mother Chao as travelling companions and assistants for Chia Chiang,

then she bade them good‐by. Chia Yung went after her and, before she

reached the door, said he had to have a private word with her.

"If you want anything from Suchow, dear. Aunt, just write it all out

on a list," he whispered; "I will give the list to my brother and he will

attend to it promptly on the journey."

"Oh, what a silly idea!" she laughed, parrying his offer. "I do not

want a thing. On the contrary, I have not got sufficient space for all the

stuff which I have! What odd, artful ideas you get!"

And off she went.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Chia Chiang was importuning his elder

cousin in ‐exactly the same way. "If there is anything you want, I shall

not fail to get it for you along with my other commissions, and lay it at

your feet as a small token of my respect," he was saying glibly. But

Chia Lien too dismissed the offer with thanks.

"Not so fast, my boy! Beginners like you should stick to the job in

hand in your first transactions, and not start distracting yourselves with

trifles. If I want anything I shall write," he added smiling, and sent

the two young people off.

The next morning Chia Lien went to Prince Chen. Various experts

among the friends of the families and some of the older and more ex‐ 

perienced members of the household staffs were present, and there was

a great consultation, building plans were examined, and questions of

labor and materials thoroughly discussed.

That same day a lively scene of building activity commenced at the

western side o the Ningkuo palace and the eastern side of the Yungkuo

palace. Laborers, carpenters, and builders came in hordes, and a cease‐ 

less succession of carts and handbarrows full of building materials

timber, bricks, glazed roof tiles, gold, silver, copper, and tin rolled in.

At one side outer walls, turrets, and pavilions were pulled down in the

Garden of Assembled Perfumes; at the other side the whole former

block of servants' residential quarters was torn down in order to make

way for one continuous area of magnificent pleasure gardens and pa‐ 

vilions.

Here we must mention that the two estates were separated merely by

a narrow private path enclosed by high walls. It was therefore only nec‐ 

essary to knock down the walls in order to turn the whole domain quite

easily into one single piece of territory. Moreover, a stream flowed

through the Garden of Assembled Perfumes, and it was found possible

to divert this stream into the Yungkuo park without difficulty, so that

waterworks could be contrived at a reasonable cost. The Ningkuo pal‐ 

ace grounds, again, were lacking in artificial hills, rocks, and trees. This

lack was overcome by transporting, for the time being, from Prince

Shieh's residence and grounds, which were really part of the original

Yungkuo park, several hills and pieces of rock as well as a number of

trees, bridges, and balustrades, and setting them down again in the Ning‐ 

kuo palace grounds. In this way a great deal of money which would

have had to be spent on new materials was saved, and the aim of achiev‐ 

ing a single and continuous new layout of magnificent ornamental gar‐ 

dens was achieved under the expert guidance of the capable old Hu, a

former Court architect, in an astonishingly short space of time.

New rocky gorges, ponds, waterfalls, airy pavilions and pagodas,

bamboo hedges and flowery groves came into being. The male members

of the families of both palaces conscientiously shared the supervision of

the work. To be sure, Prince Shieh and Chia Cheng remained out of

things for the most part; the latter was too greatly occupied with his

ministerial office, while the former loved the leisure of his library, and

left it to his son Chia Lien to represent him and to report to him in

writing from time to time on the progress of the work. Prince Chen with

his majordomo supervised the actual building operations and the rolls

of work people; his son Chia Yung supervised the metal work in gold

and silver. And so each one had his clearly defined field of activity. As

already mentioned, owing to the illness of his friend Chin Chung, Pao

Yu took scarcely any part in all the busy doings which were going on

in the house. Even the fact that his father, owing to his many other

urgent occupations during that time, was unable to watch him and

supervise his studies as much as usual, failed to cheer his depressed

spirits, as it would assuredly have done at another time.

One morning his inner unrest drove him out of bed just at break of

dawn. While he was dressing he was informed that an old servant of his

friend had come to call him urgently to the sickbed. Filled with anxious

forebodings, he hastened to his friend's house; but he came too late.

The sick boy, whom he found lying on his bed with wax‐white face and

closed eyes, painfully gasping for breath, made no reply to his thrice‐ 

repeated cry: "Brother Chin, Pao Yu is here!" Unable to utter one

word of farewell, he had breathed out his last remnant of breath in the

presence of his friend and set out on his journey to the Yellow Springs.