On the day of the Lantern Festival the Imperial consort pays her family a visit.

On the day of the Lantern Festival the Imperial consort pays her

family a visit.

THE FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR THE RECEPTION OF THE MISTRESS OF

the Phoenix Palace had now been completed. Chia Chiang had brought

back with him from Suchow a troupe of twelve picked dancing and

singing girls, who were to prepare a repertoire of twenty dance‐plays

under the direction of a competent ballet mistress. The troupe was

housed in the Pear Garden, in the premises hitherto inhabited by

Aunt Hsueh and her family, the latter being temporarily quartered in

a quiet and secluded spot at the northeastern extremity of the Ningkuo

palace. For attendance on the young artists a few elderly women

who in their youth had also been versed in singing and dancing but

were now settled, gray‐haired matrons, were picked out from among

the domestic staff. Chia Chiang was entrusted with the task of seeing

to the maintenance 6f the troupe and rendering an account of the cost

of what they consumed.

At the last great session of the festival committee, which took place

in the tenth month, the individual committee members had submitted

a detailed account of their various departments, and it had been estab‐ 

lished that there was absolutely nothing lacking. From the brightly

colored singing bird and the Manchurian spirit crane, the stag and the

hare in the game preserve, the geese and fowls in the farmyards, down

to the last bronze bowl and the smallest ornament, everything was in

its place. The troupe of dancing girls had completely mastered their

repertoire of twenty numbers, and the choirs of twelve Buddhist and

twelve Taoist nuns were able to reel off their liturgies at their fingers'

end. Yet another general inspection of the festival gardens was made,

this time by the Princess Ancestress and her ladies‐in‐waiting. Now

Chia Cheng's great moment had come at last: he composed his petition

to the Throne, officially begging the Imperial consent to his eldest

daughter's visiting her family. The same day on which he handed in

his petition a gracious rescript, consenting to the visit requested, and

fixing the date for the fifteenth of the first month, the day of the first

full moon in the New Year, namely, the Lantern Festival, was received.

A week before this date the Chief Eunuch Hsia, superintendent of

the six Imperial harems, arrived. He examined with the utmost detail

the preparations which had been made and inspected the whole of the

festival gardens even to the most secluded nooks in which the august

visitor was to make herself comfortable and "change her attire." He

brought with him a great crowd of other eunuchs who had been

specially selected for guard and sentry duties and were now posted

at various points. Moreover, the inmates of the two palaces received

detailed instructions as to where each person, down to the kitchen

staff, was to be for the duration of the august visit, as well as the

exact ceremonial which was to be observed at the reception. Further‐ 

more, servants of the Ministry of Public Works from the capital were

detailed to clean the streets leading from the Imperial Palace to the

princely palace, and posses of special police were sent to keep them

clear of traffic and pedestrians.

During the night of the fourteenth to the fifteenth no one closed an

eye, and from break of dawn everyone, from the Princess Ancestress

down, was ready and waiting ceremonially attired in his or her place

for the visitor. In the Park of Delightful Vision the hangings became

inflated and welled out like dragons and snakes, the brightly em‐ 

broidered curtains fluttered like phoenixes, the gold and silver glis‐ 

tened, the pearls and precious stones shimmered, clouds of aromatic

fumes ascended from tripod burners and from incense vessels, the

fragrant green of young foliage shone from pots and vases. A solemn

silence reigned everywhere. Not a hem nor a cough was audible.

The male members of the family had taken their stand outside in

the middle of the closed‐off street, in front of the western gate, while

the ladies, sheltered from the vulgar gaze by high cloth screens, waited

close by the gate.

The exhaustion caused by the hours of waiting was already becoming

noticeable when a solitary eunuch on horseback came galloping along.

Chia Cheng stopped him and asked when the Imperial spouse would

arrive.

"Not for a long time yet/' was the answer. "At one o'clock she in‐ 

tends to dine, at two she will pray to Buddha in the Hall of Precious

Strength from God, at five she will attend the banquet in the Palace of

Great Clarity, and after that she will go to see the lantern display in

the Imperial Gardens. She can hardly be here before seven this eve‐ 

ning."

the suggestion of Phoenix, who had heard the whole conversa‐ 

tion through the partition, the older ladies retired indoors for a time

rest. In the late afternoon the loud trot of horses was heard once

more. This time ten eunuchs came riding along. They were out of

breath and as they dismounted they clapped their hands excitedly. This

was the prearranged signal to the many eunuchs who ha.d been dis‐ 

tributed over the parklands for several days before, that the august

visitor was approaching, and they all rushed to their posts.

A little more time passed in silent expectation, then two outriders

appeared riding at an easy trot. They leaped from their horses and, with

their faces turned towards the west, took up their position beside the

ladies' screen. After a time another pair of outriders came along and

joined the first. Then ten more pairs of outriders arrived and, with

the first two pairs, formed a double row. From a distance came the

sound of music. And now, two by two, the long procession approached:

dragon banners, great fans of 'phoenix and pheasant feathers, cere‐ 

monial palace umbrellas swayed to and fro. Next came bearers carry‐ 

ing lighted censers of gold; then, stretched over an arched framework,

an immense canopy of yellow silk on which were embroidered seven

phoenixes; a crown, robes, girdle, and shoes were borne on cushions;

then came more eunuchs carrying basins of warm perfumed water,

embroidered hand towels, perfumed handkerchiefs, dusters and simi‐ 

lar objects, which they held ready. And finally, borne by eight men,

came the great yellow‐gold silken State sedan chair, embroidered with

phoenixes, with a golden knob at the back and little bells which tinkled

sweetly at each side. At its approach the entire crowd which was waiting

went down on its knees. Eunuchs came rushing along to help the

Princess Ancestress and the other great ladies to their feet again. Then

they all surrounded the sedan chair and followed it on foot in orderly

procesrion into the palace precincts. In front of the entrance to a some‐ 

what secluded courtyard situated at the eastern extremity of the Yung‐ 

kuo palace the litter was set down. A eunuch hastened up to the door,

knelt down, and invited the Imperial spouse to dismount and "changt

clothes." The eunuch then withdrew to make way for the Imperial

ladies‐in‐waiting, who helped the distinguished inmate out of the sedan

chair and escorted her to the apartment in question.

After Beginning of Spring had "changed clothes" she got into the

chair again and had herself carried to the Park of Delightful Vision.

The park glittered with the multicolored shimmer of innumerable

brightly colored lamps and lanterns, the air was heavy with the aromatic

perfumes which rose on all sides in spirals of smoke from censers and

tripods, and filled with the sweet strains of an invisible orchestra which

made itself heard from time to time.

"Much too luxurious, much too costly!" murmured 'Beginning of

Spring, shaking her head, when she saw from inside her sedan chair

all the unheard‐of magnificence around her.

A eunuch approached the chair, knelt down, and invited Her High‐ 

ness to enter a boat. Beginning of Spring left the chair and entered

the gorgeous State boat, which then glided gently along the glittering

watercourse that wound between high slopes. To right and left the cliffs

and stone balustrades glittered with the colored lights of innumerable

little crystal and glass lamps. The trees and shrubs along the banks,

which were still bare of leaves, had been given a springlike appearance

by artificial leaves and flowers made of gaily colored fabric and tissue,

and everywhere among the branches and leaves bright little lamps and

lanterns were glowing. Down below on the water, too, lights rocked

and swayed, for everywhere, among the reeds and the lotus leaves and

water lilies, glowed little lamps made in the shape of oysters and shells,

while others, fastened to the pinions of herons, swans, and ducks, drew

fantastic circles of light over the surface of the water. One could im‐ 

agine oneself transported into a fairy realm of crystal, a sparkling

wonderland of pearls and precious stones. The boat itself was likewise

a blaze of multicolored lights, and these, playing upon the sumptuous

pearl‐studded curtains and embroidered damask portieres, and on the

wet oars carved of precious wood, made a brilliant galaxy of reflections.

The journey ended at a marble landing place which bore the title

"Pepper Plant Quay," after which the journey was continued by litter

under the stone arches of honor with their dragons in relief, up to the

main hall.

On the way Beginning of Spring expressed various wishes regarding

mottoes and inscriptions which she desired changed. For instance, she

wished the exuberant title on the arch of honor, "Entrance to the Do‐ 

main of the Blessed Spirits," to be changed to the simple inscription,

"Entrance to the Country House of the Filial Visit." Each of these

wishes was immediately conveyed by eunuchs to Chia Cheng, who had

the required alterations carried out there and then; for all the existing

mottoes and inscriptions had only been put up provisionally. They were

almost all based upon Pao Yu's suggestions.

It must be remarked here that Beginning of Spring had a particularly

tender affection for her young brother. While she was still living at

home and Pao Yu was hardly four years old, she used to take an almost

motherly interest in the development of his mind, and industriously

instructed him in the first foundations of a classical education, and

taught him several thousand ideographs. Even after she had been taken

into the service of the Imperial Palace, she had never ceased to inquire,

in her letters to her father and mother, how he was getting on and what

progress he was making in his studies. In making use everywhere of the

products of Pao Yu's brain in texts for mottoes, Chia Cheng's idea was

to give his sister pleasure. She was to perceive from these that the

trouble she had taken with him in her childhood days had not been

wasted and had brought forth good fruit. For even if Pao Yu's inspira‐ 

tions did not exactly show genius, at least they betrayed considerable

talent and a certain originality.

The main hall shone festively in the resplendent glow of immense

candelabra. Everywhere smoldering tripods and incense pots stood

about on the grounds, filling the air with aromatic perfumes from the

musk glands of the civet and musk ox. It would be impossible to de‐ 

scribe adequately the sumptuousness of the interior decorations to

depict and recount in detail all the splendors of the carpets and hang‐ 

ings, the walls and the windows, the staircases and the banisters. It was

a real fairy castle, a genuine "cinnamon hall," a "palace of orchids,"

worthy to be the dwelling place of the Imperial spouse.

Beginning of Spring remarked that there was no inscription over the

front of the building. A eunuch explained to her that this was the main

hall, and that no one had dared to anticipate her own choice at this, the

most important point in the whole of the festive gardens. A head

eunuch, who was acting as master of ceremonies, now invited her to as‐ 

cend the throne and receive the homage of the members of the family.

At each side of the steps leading to the throne music began to play.

Meantime Prince Shieh and the other seniors had grouped themselves,

under the guidance of two eunuchs, on the Terrace of the Moon in front

of the entrance to the hall, and stood awaiting a sign to appear before

the face of Her Imperial Highness and perform their kowtow of homage

in the manner prescribed by Court ceremonial. But Her Imperial High‐ 

ness released them, and also the ladies, from the performance of this

kowtow, and contented herself with a simple levee. In the course of

these proceedings tea was handed to Her Highness three times. She

then stood up and descended from the throne. As she did so the music

ceased. And with this the official part of the reception came to an end.

The Imperial wife now entered a side chamber and changed her at‐ 

tire. She then left the park in a carriage belonging to the house and

went, now a simple daughter of the family once more, to visit her par‐ 

ents and her grandmother. This second, private reception took place in

the home of the Princess Ancestress. Strictly speaking, Beginning of

Spring should now, as daughter and granddaughter, have had to throw

herself upon her knees before the old Tai tai and her mother. But the

old Tai tai and the other female relatives approached her with a curtsy

and forbade her to conform with the ceremony prescribed by Court

etiquette.

After the formalities had been sufficiently complied with the human

emotions which the reunion awoke were given full vent. All the as‐ 

sembled female relations welcomed Beginning of Spring in their turn,

and as she stood there holding her grandmother's left hand and her

mother's right, tears rolled ceaselessly down her cheeks. The relatives

were likewise overcome with emotion. All had so much in their hearts

which they would have dearly loved to express, but for a long while

nothing could be heard but wordless sobbing. Princess Shieh and Phoe‐ 

nix and the three cousins, Greeting of Spring, Grief of Spring, and

Taste of Spring, who were modestly standing somewhat in the back‐ 

ground, were all seized with the prevalent emotion too, and continu‐ 

ously wiped their eyes.

At last Beginning of Spring mastered her emotions, and forced her

voice to a gay and jocular tone as, turning to her grandmother and

mother, she said: "Since I was taken away to that place which is closed

to you, I have today been permitted to see you again for the first time

after a long separation and many difficulties. And now instead of chat‐ 

ting and laughing merrily together, we are all weeping and wailing at

one another. We should be enjoying the present moment instead of

doing this. Soon I shall have to leave you, and who knows when we

shall meet again . . .!"

She could say no more and began sobbing anew. They all pressed

around to console and comfort her. She was now brought to an arm‐ 

chair on which she sat receiving the homage of the entire female staff

of both palaces, who passed in order of precedence before the doorway

and performed their kowtow.

"Our family is so big, it is sad that there is not time to greet every‐ 

one," sighed Beginning of Spring.

Her mother asked her whether she wished to receive Aunt Hsueh and

her daughter and cousin Black Jade. They were waiting outside but

were not venturing to appear unless called, as they considered them‐

selves without rank or dignity. Beginning of Spring had them called in

and had a few friendly words for each of them. Meanwhile her attend‐ 

ants were being refreshed in various quarters; only four young eunuchs

had remained behind in her vicinity. This absence of guards and ret‐ 

inue allowed the family more unrestricted conversation. Beginning of

Spring also exchanged a few words with her father, Chia Cheng, though

only through the folding screen, of course, because according to Court

etiquette no strange man, not even her own father, was permitted to

look with his profane eyes upon a wife of the Emperor.

"The poor peasants who live on salted cabbage and dress in shoddy

cotton are better off than we are," lamented Beginning of Spring

through the screen. "They can foster and satisfy their natural desire for

family life to their hearts' content. But we, on the contrary, though we

are made of the same flesh and blood as they, have to endure sorrowful

separation. What good to us are all of our splendors and riches?"

Her father too was on the verge of tears, but he spoke words of com‐ 

fort to her and exhorted her not to quarrel with fate, which had treated

her so well, but to acknowledge with gratitude the favor granted to her

by the Son of Heaven and to repay it with redoubled dutifulness.

"Who would ever have dreamed that it would be granted to a simple,

obscure subject such as I to rear a precious phoenix in his poor, cold

household among ordinary birds of the hen and goose species? Next to

the favor of the Emperor and the inscrutable designs of nature, such

great good fortune is doubtless also to be ascribed to the blessed and

benign influence of our ancestors. Therefore, we must show ourselves

worthy of our ancestors by redoubled self‐sacrifice and devotion to the

Throne, the more so now that the Throne has granted us this hitherto

unknown favor of a visit to the family. Even if we were 1 to dash our

brains out against the ground in doing homage, we should still not have

paid the ten‐thousandth part of our debt of gratitude to the Son of

Heaven may he see a thousand harvests! Let the Imperial spouse

and this is my most earnest prayer not think so much of the years she

has wasted in the society of her parents, but rather let her dedicate all

her mind and all her strength to the service of His Imperial Majesty!"

Chia Cheng then went on to speak of Pao Yu, remarking that most of

the inscriptions and mottoes in the park had been planned by him. If

she would deign to take notice of one or other of these inscriptions and

help to improve upon them, she would certainly make Pao Yu very

happy.

"Oh, what splendid progress he has made!" cried Beginning of

Spring, joyfully. Then, when Chia Cheng had withdrawn, she asked

those around her: "Why do I not see Pao Yu?"

"As a male relative without office or title, he does not dare to appear

without being called for," replied the Princess Ancestress.

"Bring him here," the eunuchs were ordered. Soon afterwards Pao

Yu appeared, and saluted his sister by falling on his knee and touching

the ground with his forehead. But she took him quite unceremoniously

by the hand and, clasping him to her breast, fondly stroked his head

and neck.

"How big you have grown!" she exclaimed, smiling, but immediately

overcome by her childhood memories, she broke down in tears once

more.

"The banquet is ready. We beg the Imperial spouse to grant us the

happiness of sharing it." With these words they sought to distract her

from her grief. Beginning of Spring stood up, ordered Pao Yu to lead

the way, and set out on foot through the new park, together with the

entire company, for the main hall, where the banquet was to take place.

On the way the most important parts of the park, which was illuminated

with innumerable bright lanterns, were inspected thoroughly. Beginning

of Spring was lavish with her praise and approval, but she begged her

family very earnestly not to indulge in such excessive expenditure when

she should visit them again. At the banquet Princess Chen and Phoenix

shared the office of handing her food and filling her glass.

After the meal Beginning of Spring asked for writing brush and ink

and wrote with her own hand on strips of flowered silk the names and

inscriptions which she gave to the most important places in the new

park. The grounds as a whole were to receive the name of "Park of

Delightful Vision" and the facade of the main hall the inscription "Re‐ 

membering the Imperial Favor, intent upon Faithful Fulfillment of

Duty," and so name after name, motto after motto, text after text came

under review. After this, a competition in poetical composition began

between the sisters and cousins and Pao Yu. Greeting of Spring, Grief

of Spring, Taste of Spring, Precious Clasp, Black Jade, and Li Wan,

the young widow of the deceased brother Chia Chu, each received a

motto as theme and had to compose a stanza on it. Actually, Pao Yu

was given four themes. He was required to extol in stanzas 6f particu‐ 

larly choice language the four places in the park which pleased him the

most. And so the improvising and versifying went on until far into the

night. Of the six samples of feminine literary talent, Beginning of

Spring declared the efforts submitted by Black Jade and Precious Clasp

to be the best; so excellent indeed, she added modestly, that she herself

could not compete with them.

Pao Yu too had finished his task with real effort and with the secret

friendly help of his two gifted cousins, Precious Clasp and Black Jade.

Precious Clasp had helped hint with the third stanza by reciting a

missing line which he could not remember from a poem of the cele‐ 

brated T'ang poet, Han Yu; and Black Jade had actually written the

whole fourth stanza for him and passed it to him secretly scribbled on a

crumpled piece of paper. Beginning of Spring promptly declared this

fourth stanza to be by far the best of his efforts. Taste of Spring, who

wrote a beautiful hand, now had to copy all the ten stanzas out afresh

on paper, after which they were taken by a eunuch to Chia Cheng, so

that he might rejoice at these specimens of the literary talent of the

younger members of the family.

Cousin Chia Chiang, who was burning with desire to shine with his

troupe of dancing girls, was almost beside himself with impatience

when at last a eunuch came rushing in behind the dancing stage.

"The literary competition is finished," he announced. "The dance

program can begin now. Give me a program quickly."

Chia Chiang handed him a program and a list of the names of the

twelve dancers. Beginning of Spring chose four out of the twenty num‐ 

bers: "The Glorious Banquet," "The Strange Beggar," "Meeting of

Phantoms," and "Separated Souls." The audience took their places in

front of the stage, Chia Chiang gave the command to raise the curtain,

and the twelve girls began to display their carefully rehearsed art. They

danced so enchantingly that the audience could only stare as if be‐ 

witched; their singing melted all hearts; and in their acting they ex‐ 

pressed joy and grief to such perfection that the onlookers, quite car‐ 

ried away, almost took their playing for reality.

After the performance a eunuch appeared behind the stage with a

golden plate full of cakes

Chia Chiang made the dancer, Ling Kuan, step in front of the cur‐ 

tain to perform a kowtow of thanks before the august donor.

"The Imperial wife has declared that Ling Kuan is the best of the

troupe," continued the eunuch, "and she desires her to give two or more

solo pieces."

Chia Chiang accordingly sent Ling Kuan onto the stage once more

and ordered her to give as encores the two numbers "A Walk through

the Garden" and "Terrible Awakening from a Dream." As these two

numbers did not form part of her special repertoire, the rather inde‐ 

pendent Ling Kuan performed instead two dance scenes, "Rendezvous"

and "Quarrel." Beginning of Spring was again delighted with the girl's

ability and rewarded her with an extra fee in the form of two bales of

silk from the palace and two purses filled with pieces of gold and silver.

With this the banquet ended. Beginning of Spring stood up to visit

some other parts of the park which she had not yet seen, among them a

Buddhist temple set on a hill, where she burned incense and prayed to

Buddha. She chose as inscription for this temple the words: "On the

Boat of Mercy through the Sea of Bitterness."

After this there was a great distribution of gifts in the main hall. Be‐ 

ginning of Spring, seated on a dais, held a comprehensive gift list in

her hand and inspected every single present as the eunuchs laid it at her

feet. No one in the two palaces, from the Princess Ancestress down to

the coolie who collected the garbage and the ypungest kitchen maid,

went empty‐handed. The Princess Ancestress received two house scep‐ 

ters, one of gold, the other of jade, inscribed "May your Wishes come

True," an aloe rod, a prayer chaplet of sandalwood beads, four pairs of

satin sheets from the Imperial Palace stores with the words "Long

Spring," "Riches and Nobility," "Good Fortune," and "Long Life"

embroidered on them; also a gold writing‐brush case, ten gold bars

wrought in the form of the ideographs representing "May your Wishes

come True," and ten silver bars in the form of the ideograph represent‐ 

ing "Happiness and Blessings." To enumerate all the other gifts would

be too lengthy a task. Suffice it to say that the combined household

staffs of the east and west palaces received gifts comprising a hundred

bales of silk, a thousand ounces of silver, and many bottles of Imperial

wine.

It was already approaching three in the morning when the Chief

Eunuch, who was in charge, announced that it was time to leave. Once

more the eyes of the Imperial wife filled with tears, but she bravely

forced herself to smile cheerfully, pressed the hands of her mother and

grandmother once more, and begged them not to let the parting grieve

them too greatly. The Son of Heaven, in his immense generosity, would

surely permit them to see each other again one day, but on the occasion

of her next visit they should refrain from such excessive expenditure in

her honor. And finally they parted with heartbreaking tears and lamen‐ 

tations. As the Imperial litter disappeared out of sight with Beginning

of Spring, her mother and grandmother had to be supported on each

side, Jest they should sink to the ground with the weight of their grief.