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4. A Disturbance at the Imperial Academy
- Hong Kong University Press, HKU
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A Disturbance a t th e Imperial Academ y In th e followin g morning , h e arrive d a t th e Hom e o f Enchanting Fragranc e t o find th e black gates tightly shut. Nothing seemed to indicate that people insid e were expecting his arrival. Feeling a little timid, and fearing that Yang Longyou was setting a trap for him to be chided by the Perfumed Lady , he knocked lightly with the bronze door ring. A youn g servan t cam e ou t an d said , 'Oh , i t i s Master Hou ! You r arrival i s untimely. Purity and the others have gone to attend th e "box meeting" at Aun t Bian's place. But the lord Yang is inside, it is all right for you to enter.' Immediately behind the gates was a footpath paved with pebbles; close by the wall were grown some bamboos. Hou coul d se e that th e window s on th e uppe r floors were shut, he therefore knew that the Perfumed Lad y was not home. It was as if a bucket of cold water was rudely poured on his head, so much so that all his happy anticipation dissipated like smokes and clouds. In the parlour Yang and old man Su were having a game of chess. They came out hastily to greet Hou Fangyu. Yang made a bow and said, 'Brother, you are a little late. They have gone t o Bian th e Jad e Lady' s plac e fo r th e "bo x meeting " an d wil l no t retur n til l afte r lunch.' Hou did not know what a 'box meeting' was and asked old Su. 'It is a game the girls play,' answered Su. 'Each will take turn in being hostess, and all those attending will bring their own boxes of fruits or delicacies. Each will do what she is especially good at by playing a musical instrument or singing. Thus they amuse themselves.' The Peach Blossom Fan 'Do they permit others to participate?' asked Hou. Yang made an eye signal towards Su, but Su was a straightforward fello w an d did not understand what was meant. He simply opened his eyes widely and stared at Yang. 'Brother Hou cannot wait! ' cried Yang. 'Father Su, let us accompany him t o pay a visit to Bian the Jade Lady at Warm Jade Abode. Even though we might not be abl e to go upstairs, we might just stay downstairs an d liste n t o th e musi c for free.' Old ma n S u was a warm-hearted man , s o he readil y agreed . H e though t t o himself, 'Yang Longyou is such a good man. It is difficult t o find a good sort like him in this world!' Warm Jade Abode was only a few houses away. When the party arrived, they found th e upper floor filled with noises of different kinds . There were the playing of harpsichord, th e playing of flute, o f pipa, of pipe — mixe d with intermitten t laughers. It seemed tha t ther e were at least twenty or thirty people upstairs. O n the contrary , i t was extremely quie t on the ground floor. Onl y th e littl e servan t was there. Having serve d th e thre e visitor s tea , he hi d behin d th e parlou r an d peered. In a short while , a girl sang with a seductive shrill . Old ma n S u whispered , 'The Dream ofHandan DistrictV Just as Hou was listening with concentration, Su shook his head and remarked, 'The beat is wrong!' Yang asked, 'Old father Su , can you guess who it is who is singing?' 'Lady Purity,' replied old Su. Then another person began to sing, which prompted Su to exclaim with delight, 'This is the Perfumed Lad y singing The Peony PavilionV The three men were stunned. After singin g a few verses , Ho u wa s no longe r abl e t o contro l himself . H e shouted his acclaim, clapping his hands and stamping his feet at the same time. The interruptio n brough t immediat e trouble. The music stopped; one coul d hear the floor-boards upstairs creaking with all the girls running to the annex and the carve d window s banging here an...