4

Ruan San Redeems His Debt in Leisurely Clouds Nunnery

The above quatrain exhorts parents to settle their debts with their children early. As the saying goes, “A grown son should take a wife; a grown daughter should have a husband. If no marriage takes place, scandals will bring you disgrace.” Goodness knows how many parents have unduly delayed their daughter’s matrimony by being too fastidious in picking the right son-in-law from the right family. How can youngsters who have been awakened to love withstand their desires? In the case of a young man, he would turn to clandestine love a airs or visit houses of ill repute. A young woman, if unanchored in a betrothal, is also likely to go astray, and by that time, regrets will be too late!

Let me now tell of a prominent official, Chen Taichang by name, who lived in Tuyan Lane, o Wutong Street, in the [Song dynasty’s] Western Capital,² Henan Prefecture. Of humble origin, he worked his way up the echelons of officialdom till he attained the post of marshal of the palace guards. In his late forties, he took a concubine who bore him no son but only a daughter, whom they named Yulan [ Jade Magnolia]. By the time she reached sixteen, this young lady of noble birth raised in the depths of her boudoir was as fresh as a flower and as fair as the moon, and accomplished in the arts of embroidery, sewing, musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Chen Taichang often commented to his wife, “If no worthy husband is found for our talented and beautiful only daughter, my position as a minister in the imperial court as well as my immense wealth would all be to no avail.” He therefore summoned a registered matchmaker and gave her these instructions: “Our daughter is now of age for marriage. Don’t come back to me until you have found an eligible candidate with all of the following three qualities: first, he must be the son of an incumbent official in the imperial court; second, his looks and talents must match those of our daughter; third, he must have a jinshi degree. Only one who meets all three conditions will qualify for marriage into our family. He who lacks one of the three qualities is not even worth considering.” Candidates in the subsequent search were found to be either qualified scholars but of humble origin, or of eminent family background but with no scholarly achievements, or to be satisfactory in both of these qualities but too distant in age. Therefore, the matter was put o year after year. Time sped by like an arrow, and, before they knew it, Yulan was nineteen but not yet betrothed.

It was now the Lantern Festival of the second year of the [Song dynasty’s] Zhenghe reign period [C.E. 1112], and there was to be a joyous celebration as decreed by the imperial court. A host of colored lanterns were piled up in the shape of a hill in front of the Gate of Five Phoenixes. The streets were ablaze with bright lanterns, and the air was filled with the sound of gongs and drums. The curfew in the capital was lifted from the fifth through the twentieth of the first month, and the imperial court rejoiced with the populace. How do we know this? There is a lyric poem to the tune of “Auspicious Crane Fairy” depicting the festive scene:

Everywhere were people out to view the lanterns, and every household indulged in fun and frolic. All this merriment brought about the romance that makes up our story.

It is said that in Tuyan Lane there lived a talented young man by the name of Ruan Hua. Being the third son of the family, he was known as Ruan Sanlang [Ruan the Third Young Master]. His eldest brother, Ruan Da, was a merchant who constantly traveled with their father, as they plied their trade between the Western Capital and the Eastern Capital.³ The second son was in charge of the household. The third, Ruan San, was an eighteen-year-old, refined and graceful in bearing, well versed in poetry of every style, and a virtuoso in the playing of the xiao.⁴ In the company of several sons of the wealthy, he sought pleasure every day in song-houses and brothels. On this night of the Lantern Festival, he invited several friends to his home and, while admiring the lanterns, sang and played the sheng⁵ and the xiao until the third watch of the night. When bidding his friends good-bye at the gate, Ruan San saw that all was quiet, with few pedestrians about, and that the moonlight was as bright as day. “How can we go to sleep and miss out on such a beautiful night?” he exclaimed. “Why don’t we play one more song?” They agreed and sat down right on the stone curb facing the moon, took out their sheng, xiao, and ivory clappers and started the music and the singing again. Truly,

The Ruan house was right across from Marshal Chen’s residence. After some fun at the festival, the young lady Yulan was about to retire for the night when she heard, from the street, music that seemed to resound all the way up to the clouds. Thinking that the other members of the house had already gone to sleep by this time of night, she called a maid and, gently directing her steps to the gate, listened for a while. Her emotions stirred up by the music, she told Green Cloud, a trusted maid, in a low voice, “Go out for me and find out who they are.” Only too eager to be of service to her mistress, the maid readily obliged and walked cautiously to the street. Upon recognizing the young master of the residence opposite, she hurried back and reported, “It’s Ruan San of the house across the street, playing and singing at his gate with some friends.”

The young lady, without saying anything out loud for quite some time, thought to herself, “This must be the Ruan San that Father mentioned a few days ago. Father said he was a candidate for the emperor’s son-in-law but was rejected and sent back home because of his lack of connections. His talents and looks would naturally be out of the ordinary.” After she listened for nearly two more hours, all went back to their separate quarters, and she also retired to her boudoir, but she could not sleep a wink the whole night through. All her thoughts were with Ruan San: “Married life would be worthwhile if I could have such a handsome man for a husband. How can I arrange to meet him, if only a single time?” Indeed,

To resume our story, at dawn the following day, Ruan San and his friends went to amuse themselves at the Monastery of Eternal Bliss. Amorous thoughts rose in his mind at the sight of the endless stream of beautiful women making o erings of incense. Back at home that evening, he again gathered the same group of friends to amuse themselves with their own music. This went on every night until that of the twentieth, when his friends, for various reasons, failed to show up at his home. In a small room next to the gate facing the street, a bored Ruan San took a purple bamboo xiao down from the wall and, playing the five notes of the musical scale, began a popular new tune. He was barely halfway through the tune when, suddenly, a maid pushed open the door and entered with a deep curtsy. Ruan San stopped his playing and asked, “Which family are you from?”

“I am Green Cloud, personal maid of the daughter of Mr. Chen of the residence across the street. My mistress secretly admires you and told me to ask for a date with you.”

Ruan San thought to himself, “That’s an official’s residence with no lack of watchful eyes. Going in would be easy, but coming out would be a problem. What am I supposed to say if asked questions when I’m seen? Wouldn’t I be humiliated for nothing?” With these thoughts in mind, he replied, “Please tell your mistress that it would be inconvenient for me to enter and leave her house, so I can’t very well comply with her wish,” whereupon Green Cloud turned back and relayed the message to her mistress.

Recalling the charm of the music that she heard nightly, the young lady was overcome by a wave of passion. She took o from her finger a gem-inlaid gold ring and handed it to Green Cloud. “Take this to Ruan Sanlang and bring him to me. Assure him that absolutely no harm will come to him.” The ring in hand, her heart anxious as a flying arrow, her feet moving as if on wings, Green Cloud scurried to Ruan San’s small room.

When Green Cloud produced the ring and conveyed the mistress’s message, Ruan San thought, without saying a word, “Since I have this thing as evidence and the maid as a guide, what do I have to fear?” Thereupon, he followed Green Cloud to the side gate of the Chen residence, where the young lady was already waiting. She stared in fascination at him, and he also fixed his gaze on her. They were on the point of exchanging words when a cry came from outside the gate: “The marshal has returned to the residence!” The young lady hastened back to her room, and Ruan Sanlang also ran home as fast as his legs could carry him.

Thereafter, he wore the ring tightly on a finger of his left hand. Memory of the young lady filled him with tender longing, which was all the more tormenting because of the virtual impossibility of communicating with her, secluded as she was in the depths of her boudoir. Wherever he was, whether at home or away, the sight of the ring brought pain to his heart. Having no grounds for another date, he was left with only his memory to cherish. Though inferior in status to sons of highly placed officials, Ruan San was nonetheless a talented and quick-witted young man from an a›uent family. But as the days wore on, the lovelorn Ruan San gradually grew emaciated from insomnia and loss of appetite. In less than three months, he became a very sick man. However relentlessly his parents questioned him, he refused to say a word. Truly,

There was a young man named Zhang Yuan, from a family as rich as the Ruans, who had a long-standing friendship with Ruan San. Worried upon hearing about Ruan San’s prolonged illness, he came one morning to the Ruan residence for a visit. Lying in bed, Ruan San heard a voice in the hall that sounded like Zhang Yuan’s, whereupon he summoned a servant to invite the visitor into his room. The sight of a sallow and gaunt Ruan San coughing up phlegm filled Zhang’s heart with grief. He sat down on the bed and heaved sigh after sigh. “Elder Brother,” he said, “it’s been just a few days since I saw you last. What brought about such ill luck? What illness is this?”

Ruan San shook his head but remained silent. “Elder Brother,” continued Zhang Yuan, “give me your hand and let me feel your pulse.” Forgetting himself, Ruan San raised his left hand for Zhang Yuan. As he pressed his hand on Ruan’s wrist, Zhang Yuan’s eyes chanced to rest upon the gem-inlaid gold ring on the sick man’s finger. Without uttering a word, Zhang thought to himself, “As gravely ill as he is, he’s still holding on to this thing. What’s more, it’s not what a man would normally wear. It must be a keepsake from a woman. I suppose that’s the root cause of the illness.” Instead of talking about Ruan San’s pulse, he asked, “Elder Brother, where did the ring on your finger come from? Such illness should not be taken lightly. You are so good as to have treated me as a friend for all these years. Since we have shared the innermost secrets in our daily lives and understand each other’s mind, why don’t you tell me what really happened?”

Seeing that Zhang Yuan had already guessed eighty to ninety percent of the story and was a trusted friend after all, Ruan San felt obliged to tell him everything. Zhang Yuan reasoned, “Elder Brother, even though she’s from an official’s family, without this keepsake, you wouldn’t know if she were willing even if you met her face to face. But this keepsake makes all the di erence. After you have recovered your health, count on me to come up with a plan to fulfill your wish.”

“This is exactly what caused my illness,” Ruan San professed. “The only way to cure me is to work out something as soon as possible.” He then withdrew from beneath his pillow two ingots of silver and, handing them to Zhang Yuan, said, “Don’t spare this trivial sum if there’s a need for it.” Zhang Yuan took the silver and promised, “Give me some time. I’ll let you know as soon as there’s good news. In the meantime, rest easy and take care!”

After taking leave of his friend, Zhang Yuan dallied for about four hours in front of the Chen residence. As he did not see any acquaintances among the many people who entered and left the house, he went home with a heavy heart.

The following day, he went again to look for an opportunity but found none. (Willing to go to such trouble, he is a loyal friend indeed.) He thought to himself, “It would be hard to bring the matter up with anyone else but Green Cloud, if and when she comes out.” It was already late in the day when he saw a man leave the house with two porcelain jars, crying, “Where’s the errand boy of the house frittering away his time? The mistress wants you to send these two jars of vegetables to Reverend Mother Wang of Leisurely Clouds Nunnery.” (Good twist in the plot.)

As he heard this, Zhang Yuan thought, “Why, I know Wang the nun of Leisurely Clouds Nunnery! Since the mistress of the house sends her food, she must be quite close to the family. Someone like her who has access to the residence could serve as an excellent messenger. Why don’t I go and talk with her?”

Another night went by. The following morning, equipped with the two ingots of silver, he proceeded to Leisurely Clouds Nunnery. Though small, the nunnery was tastefully laid out. How do we know this? There is a poem that bears witness:

The nun, named Wang Shouchang, had been a woman of easy virtue before converting to Buddhism. As her mentor had only recently left the world, she had not yet acquired any disciples except for the two maids responsible for burning incense and attending the stoves. The nun sought alms only from the a›uent. Of the three new statues of Guanyin [the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara], Manjusri, and Samantabhadra at the back of the nunnery, the middle one, Guanyin, was gilded thanks to a kind donation from Mrs. Chen. The other two images were still without a benefactor. On this particular day, the nun was just leaving the nunnery gate when she ran into Zhang Yuan. “Where might Master Zhang be heading?” she asked.

“I am here to see you,” was the reply.

The nun turned back and invited him to take a seat in the main hall.

“Where were you going, Reverend Mother?” asked Zhang Yuan after tea.

“Thanks to the munificence of Madame Chen, the holy statue of Guanyin has been completed, but I haven’t thanked her for it. Yesterday she was again kind enough to have sent me some vegetables. So, I was thinking of preparing some small gifts to take to her residence tomorrow as a token of gratitude. Her generosity is still needed for the other two statues. As I am short of people to run errands for me, I have to do things myself, even if it’s just to buy a few trifles.”

“What a good opportunity!” Zhang Yuan thought to himself. He then said to the nun, “Reverend Mother, I have a bosom friend from a rich family. It won’t be a problem to ask him to take care of the other two holy statues all by himself, except that a favor needs to be asked of you.” He took out the two ingots of silver from his sleeves, put them on the incense table, and continued, “This much silver is but a start. After the job is done, you can build nunneries and temples to your heart’s content.”

The nun was a greedy soul. Radiant with smiles at the sight of the silver, which was of the finest quality, she asked, “Who is this person you know? What can I do for him?”

Zhang Yuan said, “This is strictly confidential. Only you can pull it o . If convenient, let’s go to a room where we will not be overheard.” He then stu ed the two ingots of silver into the nun’s sleeves. It was not without some initial show of reluctance that the nun accepted. (Don’t do what Pan Bizheng and Chen Miaochang did.)⁸ The two entered a small room and sat down in front of a bamboo couch.

“That bosom friend of mine, Mr. Ruan San,” explained Zhang, “received through a maid a keepsake from Marshal Chen’s daughter. That happened in the first month of this year, but so far they have had no chance for a date. Since you are going to see the lady of the Chen residence tomorrow, you’ll be doing him a favor if you could take the opportunity to go to the daughter’s room and find an excuse for her to set up a date with him in your nunnery.”

After a few moments of reflection, she said, “I won’t presume to make casual promises. Let me think about what to do after I meet the young lady and observe her reaction. What did you just say about a keepsake?”

“It’s a gold ring inlaid with a gem,” said Zhang Yuan.

“I’d like to borrow it for the time being. I will try to work out something.”

Zhang was elated that the nun accepted the silver without much demur. After taking leave of her, he went to Ruan San, asked for his gold ring, and delivered it to the nun before the night was out.

Our story now goes back to the nun. Having turned the matter over in her mind for half the night, she rose at daybreak and, after finishing her toilette, put the ring on her left finger and, with a maid carrying the gift box on a pole, wended her way to the Chen residence. They headed straight for the back chamber, where they sat down for a rest.

No sooner had she caught sight of them than Madam Chen exclaimed, “How could a nun be made to go to such expense?”

With a bow, the nun said, “Thanks to your generosity, the holy statue of Guanyin has been completed. Blessed are the gates of the nunnery! This poor nun was just about to come to o er you thanks when I was again overwhelmed with another benefaction yesterday. My gratitude is boundless.”

The lady said, “I remember you said that you had no good dishes to go with porridge. It so happened that a man from south of the Yangzi River sent us a few jars of squash and other vegetables, and I gave you two. Why thank me for such trifles?”

Joining her palms, the nun said, “Amitabha Buddha! Even a drop of water shouldn’t be easily wiped o . Though we nuns live o alms from everywhere, we find it hard to take things for granted.”

The lady said, “The statues as a group would look better with the middle one gilded. I will certainly also help you with the other two statues.”

“I am most indebted to you for you benefaction. Your wealth in this life is the result of charity in your previous life. More gifts of charity will ensure you prosperity and a›uence in your next life as well.”

Madam Chen had a maid put away the gift box and told the kitchen sta to prepare a vegetarian lunch for the nun.

In a short while, Madam Chen partook of the vegetarian meal with the nun, her daughter sitting by their side. After lunch, the nun pronounced, “This humble nun will now venture to extend an invitation. Since the holy statue at the nunnery has now been completed, I have picked the eighth day of the fourth month, the birthday of the Buddha, for a ceremony to paint the eyes on the holy statue. Madam and the young lady are invited to honor us with your presence on the occasion.”

“I will certainly come for the worship of Buddha,” said Madam Chen, “but my daughter can’t very well come.”

The nun knitted her brows, and a plan came to her mind. “I had a bout of diarrhea the day before yesterday that has not quite gone yet. May I use your lavatory?”

The young mistress, still yearning for Ruan San, was in low spirits. Without anything to do to take her mind o her misery, she was overjoyed at the nun’s invitation and was on the point of saying something when she heard her mother voice her disapproval. Now that the nun wanted to relieve herself, Yulan saw her chance for a private talk with the nun. “I’ll take you there,” she o e red, whereupon the two made straight for the young lady’s boudoir. Verily,

Sitting on the nightstool, the nun said, “Would you be willing to come with your mother on the eighth of the month to my nunnery?”

“How I wish I could come! Only my parents might not allow me to.”

“If you insist,” advised the nun, “your mother might concede, and if she approves, you’ll have nothing to fear from the marshal.” As she spoke, the nun reached out for toilet paper and in doing so, deliberately displayed the gold ring on her finger.

Startled at the sight, the young lady asked, “Where did you get this ring?”

The nun replied, “Two months ago, a refined-looking young man who came into the nunnery to look at the statue of Guanyin took o this ring from his finger, put it on the boddhisattva’s finger, and o ered this prayer: ‘If I cannot have my wish granted in this life, I pray that I will meet her in my next one.’ There he stood tearfully in front of the statue for a long time. It was after I pressed him for an answer that he said, ‘I will tell you only if you will find the other ring that forms a pair with this one.’ ” (There she goes with the tricks of a procuress.)

The young lady blushed deeply at this mention of her secret. After a while, unable to contain herself, she asked again, “What’s the name of the young man? Does he often go to your nunnery?”

“His name is Ruan,” replied the nun. “He comes to the nunnery from time to time to look around.”

The young lady said, “I have a ring that happens to form a pair with his.” She opened a jewel box, took out a ring inlaid with gems, and handed it over to the nun, who compared the two and broke out into laughter upon finding them identical.

“Why do you laugh?”

“I’m laughing at the young man,” said the nun. “There he was, obsessed with the desire to find the other ring, and now that it has been found, I wonder what he’ll say.”

The young lady said, “Reverend Mother, I would like to—” She caught herself without finishing the sentence.

“The first and foremost virtue of us nuns is discretion,” said the nun. “Whatever you say will be safe with me.”

“I would like to see him. Would that be possible?”

“So, his prayers to Buddha must have been for your sake,” exclaimed the nun. “That can be easily done. You will surely meet him on the eighth day of the fourth month.”

“How do I get away from my mother, even if my parents allow me to go?” asked the young lady.

“On the day you come to the nunnery,” whispered the nun into her ear, “when relaxing after lunch, just say that you need a nap, and the rest will work out.”

The young lady nodded in understanding and gave the nun her ring as a donation.

“The gold,” said the nun, “can be used to gild the statues. I guarantee that everything will turn out as you wish.” With these words, the two emerged from the room.

Mrs. Chen, upon seeing them, asked, “You were in the room for a long time. What were you talking about?”

The much-startled nun hastened to answer, her heart pounding, “The young lady asked me about the origin of the custom of washing the Buddha’s statue upon his birthday, and my explanation is what took so long.” She added, “As the young lady also wishes to pay her respects to the holy statues, please inform the marshal so that she can come with you.” Mrs. Chen escorted her out of the hall, and the nun, with a deep curtsy of gratitude, bade the mistress goodbye. Verily, she was

After leaving the Chen residence with the gold ring that the young lady had given her, the nun betook herself to Zhang Yuan’s home. Zhang had been waiting for her at the door for a long time. Seeing her from a distance, he thought to himself without saying anything out loud, “We can’t very well bring up this matter here, in the presence of so many people,” whereupon he took a few hurried steps in her direction, saying, “Please be so kind as to return to the nunnery, Reverend Mother. I’ll join you there immediately.” The nun thus turned back into another lane. After having threaded his way through the alleys, Zhang Yuan met the nun at the nunnery and was invited into a room, where the nun gave him a full account of all of the details and handed the pair of rings to him.

“If it weren’t for you, this would not have been possible,” said Zhang Yuan. “Master Ruan San will surely repay you handsomely.” Zhang Yuan went straight to report to Ruan San. The latter’s happiness when putting this second ring on the other hand goes without saying.

On the seventh day of the fourth month, the nun again went to the Chen residence to repeat the invitation: “Because of the visit of Madam and the young lady, this poor nun has declined all other benefactors. There will be no other visitors tomorrow. Please be sure to come early.”

Pestered by her daughter from morning to night with her pleas to worship Buddha, Mrs. Chen had no alternative but to give her consent. That evening, Zhang Yuan proceeded first to Ruan San’s place. In the quiet of the evening, a woman’s sedan-chair was carried surreptitiously into the nunnery. The nun ushered them in and put Ruan San up for the night in a secluded room. Indeed,

The nun rose at the fifth watch and woke up the maid. Incense was burned, candles were lit in front of the statues of the Buddha, and breakfast preparations got under way. At the break of day, she summoned a painter to paint the eyes on the holy statue and, for the convenience of the female visitors, sent him away by breakfast time. Only nuns were allowed into the hall for sutra-chanting sessions.

Mrs. Chen and the young lady came by sedan-chair at about nine in the morning. The nun hastened to greet them, and led them into the hall. After tea was over, they went to the front and the back of the nunnery for incense burning and worshipping Buddha. Mrs. Chen was pleased that there were no other visitors. The nun invited the whole entourage to sit in a small room, assigning each a seat. She then took Mrs. Chen and the young lady on a walking tour of the temple before returning for lunch. Noticing that her daughter ate little and looked drowsy after lunch, Mrs. Chen said, “Child, you must have gotten up too early this morning.”

“Madam,” said the nun with great alacrity, “this nunnery is absolutely free of unauthorized people. Even well-behaved women are not allowed into my private chamber. The young lady can take a nap in my room in all privacy with the door bolted while Madam can take a leisurely walk. Since it’s so seldom that you come, please do make yourselves comfortable!”

“Child, how sleepy you look! It would indeed be better if you go and take a nap in the Reverend Mother’s chamber.”

Complying with her mother’s order, the young lady walked into the room. No sooner had she bolted the door than she saw Ruan San emerge from behind the bed, saying with a deep bow, “Sister, I have been waiting for you for quite some time.”

Waving her hand in alarm, the young lady said under her breath, “Not so loud!” Ruan San took a few steps back while the young lady advanced until they held each other’s hands. Then the two went around the bed and, through a side door, entered another room, where there was a small and exquisite lacquered table and a wicker bed, safe from any peeping eyes. They embraced. After a few tender words, both loosened their clothes and, as eager as thirsty dragons at the sight of water, fulfilled their desires to the utmost, as attested by a lyric poem to the tune of “The Moon over the West River”:

As it was, Ruan San was a›icted with a prolonged illness brought on by his yearning for this girl. At the rendezvous, he was so overcome by desire that his life was put in jeopardy. As for the woman, tormented as she had been by the lack of a chance to meet him, she now did the best she could to please him and experienced the very height of love. Little did they know that their ecstasy was to end in sorrow. He lost his yang, his life force. In a moment, he ceased to breathe. His seven earthly souls scattered, and his spiritual souls returned to the netherworld. (Ruan San is meant to die at this moment, and the death is worthwhile, too. If Yulan could have died with him, he would have been able to find greater peace in death.) This truly bears out the saying

When she felt Ruan San lying motionless on top of her, she put her arms tightly around his waist and stuck her tongue into his mouth, only to find that his teeth were tightly clenched and his body icy cold all over. The young lady wallowing in pleasure a moment ago was now overcome by panic from head to toe. She turned the body over, pushed it to the other side of the bed against the wall, hurriedly got dressed, and went into the antechamber, closing the side door after her. Still panting in great agitation and afraid that her mother might come for her, she started redoing her makeup in front of the dresser mirror. She had barely finished when her mother’s voice came from outside. Without a moment’s delay, she pulled the door open.

“Child,” said Mrs. Chen, “the sutra-chanting session in the hall is over. Did you just wake up?”

“I slept for a while and was just adjusting my hairpins to get ready to return home with you.”

“The sedan-chair carriers have been waiting for a long time,” said Mrs. Chen.

The young lady and her mother thanked the nun, mounted the sedan-chair, and went back home, and there I shall leave them.

Let me now turn to Wang Shouchang the nun, who, after seeing the visitors o , returned to the nunnery, washed the dishes and utensils in the kitchen, and put away the incense and o erings. After everything had been put in order, Zhang Yuan and Ruan Er [Second Brother Ruan] entered the nunnery and thanked the nun profusely. “Where’s my brother?” asked Ruan Er.

“Still sleeping in my room.” So saying, the nun led Ruan Er and Zhang Yuan to her room, opened the side door, and called out, “Third Brother! How well you sleep!” There was no answer to the repeated cries. Ruan Er pushed the body with his hand, but there was no motion. No breath was coming out from the nose and the mouth. Upon a closer look, they realized that he was dead. Ruan Er cried in horror, “Reverend Mother, why is my brother dead? You’re going to hear more from me!”

In panic, the nun explained, “The young lady said she needed a nap after lunch and entered this room, where she stayed for a few hours. She left just a while ago when the old lady woke her up after the sutra-chanting session was over in the hall. I thought they were asleep. How could I have known that such a thing had happened!”

“You may very well say so, but what’s to be done?” asked Ruan Er.

“Master Ruan Er,” said the nun. “Luckily, Master Zhang is here with us. It was in accordance with Master Zhang’s instructions that I planned the whole thing, hoping that your family’s generosity would benefit this nunnery. You can’t accuse me of murdering your brother. Master Zhang, what happened today all started from your coming to ask me for a favor, and not the other way around. If this goes to court, both you and I will be hurt. Of the two ingots of silver you gave me, I spent one. The remaining one I dare not keep. It can be used toward buying a coffin for the funeral. Just say that he was recuperating from his illness in the nunnery but died unexpectedly.” So saying, she took out the ingot of silver and laid it on the table. “The two of you are free to do whatever you want with it.”

The two men were at a loss for words. After some moments of silence, Ruan Er said, “Let’s first buy a coffin before we talk about the next thing to do.” Zhang Yuan took the silver and, with Ruan Er at his side, walked out of the nunnery into the winding alleys. “Second Brother, the nun is not to blame for this,” said Zhang Yuan to Ruan Er. “Brother San was of weak constitution and must have overexerted himself with the woman. Loss of yang would naturally lead to death. I had to do this for him out of our friendship, because there was no way I could resist his pleading when I was at his bedside the other day.”

Ruan Er replied, “As I see it, in all fairness, neither you nor the Reverend Mother is to blame. It’s my brother’s fate and the doings of the gods that he should end like this. I am quite reconciled to it. My only fear is that my father and my elder brother might make a fuss when they come back.”

Before the night was out, the two of them bought a coffin, carried it to the nunnery, put the body in it, and placed it in the west corridor so that Squire Ruan and the eldest brother could make a final decision upon their return. Truly,

There came the day when Squire Ruan and the eldest son returned from their business trip. The whole family rejoiced when the two met with the lady of the house. At the father’s inquiry about the third son’s illness, Ruan Er had no choice but to give a detailed account of the whole incident. The father wailed with grief upon hearing of his son’s death and wanted to write a complaint to the court to have Chen’s daughter pay for the young man’s death. “It’s that cheap hussy who seduced my son!” he cried.

The two brothers tried to pacify him: “Father, if we think about it, it’s our brother’s own fault that he lost his life. If you sue the Chen family, we are no match for them in terms of power and influence on the one hand, and, on the other hand, this really does not concern the marshal.” Under their persuasion, Squire Ruan relented. On a chosen date, the funeral was held in the nunnery and the body was sent outside the city for burial.

Let me now describe how, more than a month after her return from Leisurely Clouds Nunnery, Miss Chen began to experience nausea, fatigue, and a craving for pickles. Three months went by without menstruation. The doctor’s prescriptions on regulation of menstrual functions had no e ect.

“Child,” asked the mother discreetly, “Did you do anything improper? Tell me the truth.”

Realizing that she could not keep it a secret any longer, the young lady had no other recourse but to tell her mother what had really happened.

The mother was aghast. “Your father meant to get you an honorable and talented man, so as to rely upon you to provide for him in his old age until he dies. What’s to be done now that you’ve caused such a scandal? What will happen if your father finds out about this?”

“Mother, now that things have come to this, I have no other way out but to die.”

Mrs. Chen’s heart twinged with pain.

When he returned home that night, the marshal saw that his wife looked distressed. “What’s bothering you today?” he asked.

“There’s one thing that’s preying on my mind.”

“What is it?”

Seeing that she would not be able to ward o his questions, Mrs. Chen told him everything. All would have been well if Mr. Chen had not heard of this, but as it was, he boiled with rage. “If you, as a mother, can’t keep an eye on the child, what good are you?” Reduced to tears, she dared not retort.

After a sleepless night turning the matter over and over in his mind, Mr. Chen left at daybreak to attend to some business. Upon returning home, he consulted his wife. “We have to work out something today. A lawsuit would bring shame on our girl and tarnish the reputation of the family. We’ll have to talk it over with the girl.”

The daughter hung her head in silence, tears streaming down her cheeks. After a while, she pulled her mother to a quiet and secluded place, saying, “It was my fault that Ruan Sanlang died. I would have killed myself if I had not been three months pregnant with his child, and yet, if I don’t take my own life, I will be held up for ridicule.” She continued between sobs, “A better option is to carry the child to full term, be it a boy or a girl, so that Ruan San will have someone to carry on his name. I owe him this for the sake of our love. A woman should remain faithful to one man until death. However brief, it was a moment of married life. I will never marry another man. Should heaven take pity on me and let me have a son, I will bring him up and give him back to the Ruan family when he is of age so as to acquit myself of my obligation as a wife. I will then take my own life as a punishment for the disgrace that I’ve brought to my parents.” (Pitiable.)

Mrs. Chen repeated these words to the marshal, who only heaved a helpless sigh. However, he quietly sent for Squire Ruan to come to his home for a discussion of the situation. He said, “It was because I did not discipline my daughter strictly enough that she did such a shocking thing behind our backs and took your son’s life, but I won’t dwell more on this. Now, my daughter is three months pregnant with his child. What is to be done? We’ll just say that my daughter was betrothed to your son. Upon meeting each other in Leisurely Clouds Nunnery, they consummated their love because the young man had already been pining away for her love and was almost on the verge of death. Thus, with a legitimate betrothal, the birth of a child will be less of a scandal.” (A proposal made in desperation, but a reasonable one, nonetheless.) Squire Ruan agreed, and from then on, the two families began to pay mutual visits.

When the pregnancy reached its full term in the tenth month, Squire Ruan sent over gifts to give blessing to the birth. Sure enough, a boy was born. When the boy reached three years of age, the young lady told her mother of her wish to take the child to pay their respects to her parents-in-law and visit Ruan San’s grave. Mrs. Chen conveyed the request to her husband, who gave his consent. An auspicious day was chosen for the visit. The young lady prepared some gifts and went to pay her respects to Mr. and Mrs. Ruan. On the following day, she tearfully made o erings at Ruan San’s grave and then, to honor the memory of her deceased husband, took out some silver and hired eminent priests for a grand prayer service for all dead souls on land and in water. That night, Ruan San appeared to her in a dream.

“Do you know that there was a predestined reason for what happened?” asked he. “In our previous existence, you were a courtesan in Yangzhou and I was a native of Jinling visiting relatives there. I fell deeply in love with you and promised to return in one year to take you as my wife. After going back home, however, I made no mention of my intention to my father, for fear of his anger, and married another woman instead, thereby doing you great harm. You waited in vain day and night for my return and eventually died of a broken heart. Since our predestined relationship was not severed, our brief meeting at Leisurely Clouds Nunnery rekindled our love. It was with the intention of demanding payment for the injustice you su ered in your previous existence that you went to the nunnery. My immediate death evened our score. Thanks to your sincere commemoration, I have found a good family to be reborn into. It was with high aspirations and moral integrity that you ended your previous life. You are therefore entitled to glory and wealth in this one. Your child is bound to be a prominent figure in the future. Raise him well. From now on, think no more of me.” In her dream, the young lady Yulan grabbed Ruan San, but before she could ask him where he was going to be reincarnated, Ruan San had pushed her away. She woke up with a start and sighed in wonderment at the knowledge that life, death, and love were all decided by debts in one’s previous life.

From that time on, the young lady thought no more of her love but devoted her whole heart to the raising of her son. Time shot by like an arrow. Before one realized it, the boy was already six years old. He was as handsome as Ruan San and was also endowed with intelligence. Marshal Chen cherished him as he would a lustrous pearl in his palm. Using his own surname, he gave the boy the name of Chen Zongruan⁹ and hired a tutor for him. By age sixteen, as was expected, the boy was already an erudite scholar. The books he had studied could fill up five wagons and the caves of the two You Mountains.¹⁰ At age nineteen, he sat for the imperial examinations and won first honor as a zhuangyuan. By order of the emperor, he returned to his hometown to take a wife. The Chen and Ruan families vied with each other in welcoming him to their homes, which were filled with guests and friends. They took turns holding celebration feasts in his honor. At the time when he was born, those neighbors who had heard something had wagged their tongues and mocked the family behind their backs. But now that the boy Chen Zongruan had achieved instant fame, they turned around and praised Yulan for her chastity, wisdom, her good upbringing of her now-famous son, and her other virtues. Such are the ways of the world that people are judged mostly by their success or failure. When promoted to the post of acting minister of personnel, Chen Zongruan composed a memorial to the emperor, in which he commended his mother for having maintained widowhood since the age of nineteen and for having brought up her son who had now risen to fame. He also requested the erection of a memorial archway in her honor. (True virtue, indeed.) This is truly a case of “A poor family can do nothing, but a rich family can make the demons grind its mill.” Even though this is true, Miss Chen did preserve her chastity, which sufficiently covered up her disgrace with a “brocade quilt.” Her story is still being told with admiration in Henan even to this day. There is a poem that bears witness: