Hao Qiu Zhuan/en/Chapter 16
Chapter 16: The Beauty Trap: A Crooked Scheme Hard to Endure
Modern English translation by Martin Woesler (2025)
To the tune of "A Young Man's Journey":
A face of powdered white, Brows of blackest green — And straightway they call her a beauty. Without consulting the red thread of fate, Without the Moon Elder's leave, They force a match of Zhu and Chen. But how should they know that the swallow differs from the oriole? When they meet, there is no love. At first he will not accept her; at last he will not yield — Putting the spring night in the bridal chamber to shame.
Now we tell that after Tie Zhongyu and Miss Bingxin were married, although they had not shared pillow and quilt, the tenderness and admiration between them was deeper than if they had — and for three days neither set foot outside the door. When Minister Shui and Censor Tie made discreet inquiries and heard this, they were thoroughly delighted. But of that we say no more.
Instead we turn to the Marquis of Daxia and Eunuch Qiu, who had both accepted Academician Guo's instigation — the one meaning to marry, the other meaning to give in marriage — and had made all their arrangements. But when they learned that Tie Zhongyu and Miss Bingxin had already wed, they were thunderstruck. Seeing no recourse, they sent word to the Academician.
When the Academician heard, his fury only deepened. He brooded: "I humbled myself with courteous words and entreaties — they threw it in my face. I submitted a memorial demanding execution — and it only advanced their cause. Now I arranged for the Marquis and the eunuch to harry them from both sides, yet they quietly conclude the wedding as though nothing had happened. Another move wasted! What is to be done?"
He dispatched a swarm of trusted agents to spy on the households of both Minister Shui and Censor Tie, seeking any fault or scandal.
One agent reported: "The Hanlin did not bring Miss Shui home — he went to her house for the wedding."
Another said: "Though they claim to be married, they sleep in separate rooms and have not shared a bed."
Yet another: "The Hanlin and Miss Shui are deeply devoted; for three days he has not left the house."
The Academician turned these reports over in his mind with great perplexity: "If they are married, why did he not bring her home but went to her house instead? If they held the nuptial ceremony, why do they not share a bed? And if they do not share a bed, why are they so affectionate? None of this makes sense. Perhaps the whole thing is a ruse to ward off the Marquis and the eunuch? The ruse may be theirs, but if the marriage is truly unconsummated, there is still a way to pry them apart. Trying to seize Miss Shui from the depths of her chambers would be enormously difficult. But the Hanlin goes to court every day — all we need is for Eunuch Qiu to contrive some trick, lure him home, and force him to wed the niece. If his marriage to Miss Shui has indeed not been consummated, it will simply fall apart."
His plan settled, he called upon Eunuch Qiu in person and laid out the scheme in detail. The eunuch accepted with enthusiasm: "Think nothing of it! If the aim were to take Tie Zhongyu's life, there might be complications. But all we propose is a marriage with my niece — a perfectly respectable match. Even if the Emperor learns of it, there is nothing to fear. Leave it to me, Your Lordship — I shall see it done properly. Only on the day itself, you must happen to appear and serve as the go-between, so that he cannot protest afterward."
"Naturally," said the Academician. Pleased by the eunuch's readiness, he took his leave and waited for good news. As the verse has it:
Evil schemes refuse to rest; Wicked men harbor endless malice. They think their plan is foolproof — Little knowing that nothing will stick.
Now Tie Zhongyu had taken ten days' leave for his wedding. On the day his leave expired, he prepared to go to court. Miss Bingxin, ever perceptive, cautioned him: "Academician Guo has expended great effort on two stratagems — the Marquis and the eunuch — and though we have silently deflected both, their malice has not yet been spent. They will not let the matter rest. The Marquis of Daxia, dissolute as he is, is still an outer-court official bound by propriety — he would not dare go too far. I need not worry on that account. But Eunuch Qiu is a favored palace servant who knows nothing of propriety and is capable of anything. You must be on your guard when you go to court."
Tie Zhongyu said: "My lady reads men's hearts before they act and foresees dangers beyond the horizon — you have truly fathomed these scoundrels' very lungs and liver. But I regard such creatures as dead rats. Why should I fear them?"
Miss Bingxin said: "It is not they who are to be feared, but their proximity to the throne. One must not provoke them lightly."
Tie Zhongyu nodded emphatically: "Your counsel is wise indeed — I shall be careful." He set out for court with his retinue.
After the audience, as he reached the East Flower Gate, he happened to encounter Eunuch Qiu. Tie Zhongyu gave him a polite nod and was about to take his leave when the eunuch seized his arm: "What a fortunate coincidence, Master Tie! I was just about to send someone to invite you."
"Though we are both servants of the throne, sir, there is the distinction between inner and outer court. What business could you have with me?"
"If it were merely my own affair, I would not presume to trouble you. But this concerns the Emperor's wishes, and I doubt you can refuse." He made to pull Tie Zhongyu along to mount their horses together.
"Even if it is an imperial command," said Tie Zhongyu, "I must ask you to explain clearly, so that I may carry it out properly."
"You are far too suspicious, Master Tie! Would anyone dare to falsely invoke an imperial edict? I shall tell you plainly: the Emperor has two scrolls of painting that he is very fond of, and having heard that your poetic talent is of the finest, he wishes you to inscribe a poem on each."
"Where are these paintings now?"
"At my house. That is why I ask you to come and inscribe them — I must return them with your poems."
Tie Zhongyu, mindful of Miss Bingxin's warning, was inwardly suspicious, but the eunuch kept invoking the Emperor's name at every turn — how could he refuse? He mounted his horse and rode alongside the eunuch to his residence.
Eunuch Qiu ushered him in, served tea, and immediately gave orders for wine to be prepared. Tie Zhongyu declined: "If there is indeed an imperial command to inscribe these paintings, pray bring them out so that I may comply. As for the wine, I could not possibly accept."
The eunuch said: "We eunuchs may not be scholars, but when we see a brilliant young Hanlin like yourself, we are filled with admiration. If I invited you without cause, you would certainly refuse. Today, thanks to the Emperor's errand, I have the excuse to keep you for a few hours — call it fate! Do not be so quick to look down on us eunuchs."
"Inner and outer court are distinct, but we are all the Emperor's servants — how could I look down on you? Yet since there is an imperial command, let us attend to the proper business first, and then I shall gladly accept your hospitality."
"I know you, Master Tie — if you finish the work first, you will try to leave! Very well, I have a solution. There are two scrolls. Let me bring out the first. You inscribe it, then we drink a few cups, and then you inscribe the second. That way, both duty and courtesy are satisfied, are they not?"
Tie Zhongyu had no choice but to agree. The eunuch led him to the rear hall on the ground floor, where a writing desk was set up with the Four Treasures of the Study. The eunuch went upstairs himself, returned carrying a scroll in both hands, and laid it on the desk. A young eunuch unrolled it for Tie Zhongyu to examine.
It was a painting by a celebrated master: a branch of wintersweet in the "magnetic-mouth" variety — exquisitely rendered, mounted in gold and jade, unmistakably a piece from the imperial collection. Tie Zhongyu, not daring to be negligent, ground the ink, moistened his brush, and inscribed a seven-character regulated poem:
Languid, she gathers low her pale yellow robe, Clasping her solitary fragrance, forbidding all to probe. Her perfumed lips, too weary, half-conceal their sandalwood, Her tender heart yearns to open, yet the bud still withholds.
One lean branch fades — her bearing seems unwell; A few petals cluster tight — her shadow hints at shame. It is not that she fears the cold and will not bloom — She means to keep the spring for the river-land of the south.
Just as he finished, word came that Academician Guo had arrived to pay a call. The eunuch hastily ordered him shown in. Presently the Academician entered and exchanged greetings. The eunuch said: "Your timing is perfect, Your Lordship! Today, by imperial command, I have invited Master Tie to inscribe some paintings. I assumed inscribing poems would take half the day, and so I prepared a little wine to keep him company. But Master Tie is so enormously talented that the poem was finished before I could blink! I cannot tell what he has written — would you be so kind as to read it aloud, so that I may understand it well enough to report to the Emperor?"
"With pleasure," said the Academician, and stepping up to the desk, he read aloud:
"Languid, she gathers low her pale yellow robe, / Clasping her solitary fragrance, forbidding all to probe. / Her perfumed lips, too weary, half-conceal their sandalwood, / Her tender heart yearns to open, yet the bud still withholds. // One lean branch fades — her bearing seems unwell; / A few petals cluster tight — her shadow hints at shame. / It is not that she fears the cold and will not bloom — / She means to keep the spring for the river-land of the south."
He praised it lavishly: "Superb! Superb! Every word is the wintersweet, every word captures the magnetic-mouth variety — truly enough to make the Hanlin Academy shine!" The eunuch, hearing this, was pleased as well. He ordered the scroll put away and brought out the wine.
Tie Zhongyu said: "Since the Emperor sent two scrolls, why not bring out the second and let me finish both, and then accept your kind hospitality with an easy mind?"
The eunuch said: "A talent as great as yours, Master Tie — inscribing a painting is no labor at all. Please have a cup first and moisten your brush." He led him to the table. By Hanlin etiquette, seating was by seniority: the Academician took the first seat, Tie Zhongyu the second, and Eunuch Qiu the third as host.
After several rounds of wine, the eunuch began: "Today, while the Emperor has indeed long known of Master Tie's chivalrous character, he was curious about your literary talent and so commanded these paintings inscribed. But I, too, have a matter of personal interest I wish to accomplish for you, and it was for this that I requested the assignment. Today, as it happens, everything has come together."
The Academician feigned ignorance: "What matter could you have in mind for Brother Tie?"
The eunuch said: "A drum will not sound unless struck, a bell will not ring unless hit. Since I wish to bring about this match, I had better speak plainly. I have a niece — a girl of, I dare say, flawless beauty, virtuous and accomplished — now in her eighteenth year. I have been searching for a worthy match without success. When I learned that Master Tie is a brilliant young Hanlin, still unmarried, I conceived the sincere wish to ally my family with his. The other day, after court, I approached his father, the Censor, who was kind enough to consent. Yesterday I reported it to the Emperor and asked for an imperial endorsement as a kind of go-between. The Emperor said: 'Let me send him these two scrolls of plum-blossom paintings to inscribe. Since "plum" and "matchmaker" sound alike, the inscribed plums will serve as the matchmaker — there is no need for a separate edict.' Now the painting has been inscribed. Does Master Tie take the hint?"
Tie Zhongyu, having long since divined the eunuch's intent, was not in the least flustered. He said calmly: "I am grateful for your kind intentions, but my fate is a poor one — I have already offered the wild goose of betrothal at Minister Shui's hall. How could I take a second wife?"
The eunuch laughed: "You need not try to deceive me, Master Tie — I have inquired into everything. The charade you staged the other day was simply to keep Miss Shui from being married off to the Marquis. She asked you to put up a false front — that is all. How can you now pretend it is real?"
"What an extraordinary thing to say! One may dissemble in other matters, perhaps, but marriage is the very foundation of human relations and the cornerstone of the moral order. How can it be called a 'false front'? Once the grand ceremony has been performed and the nuptial cup has been shared, how can a man take another wife and a woman marry another husband?"
"If it is a real marriage, why did you not bring her home but went to her house instead? If you shared the nuptial cup, why do you sleep in separate rooms?"
"I went to her house because Minister Shui has no sons, and I wished temporarily to console a father and daughter who had been parted for so long. As for whether we share a bed or not — that is a private matter of the bedchamber. How could you possibly know, sir? You stand at the Emperor's side and survey the bonds of human morality with your own eyes — you must not give credence to groundless gossip."
The eunuch said: "Whether any of this is true or false, I neither know nor care. All I know is that I have reported to the Emperor, and my niece is going to marry Master Tie — and you cannot refuse!"
"It is not a matter of refusing. Since antiquity, no minister of the court has ever married one wife and then taken another."
"I am only giving you one wife. Who is asking you to take two?"
"Precisely because I already have one wife that I must decline the second."
"The question of 'first' and 'second' is not to be decided as you suggest. A wife brought home is the first; a wild flower picked by the roadside, even if she came first, must count as second."
"Wild flowers picked by the roadside do not deserve to be counted at all. But when a match is made between families of the highest rank, in obedience to both fathers' commands, with a proper go-between, with bells and drums and zither and lute — how can that be called a 'wild flower'? You misspeak, sir."
"If a father's command must be obeyed, does the Emperor's command not demand even greater obedience? Or do you reckon your parents greater than the Emperor?"
Tie Zhongyu, seeing that the eunuch's arguments had become a relentless tangle, said: "This matter of matrimonial propriety touches upon the very fabric of the state. It is not something for you and me to argue about in private. Though I would not presume to trouble the Emperor directly, the question should at least be put before several ministers of rites for a public judgment."
The eunuch said: "If you want the ministers of rites, here is Academician Guo right before us — is he not a man versed in the rites? Simply ask him."
Tie Zhongyu said: "Literature and propriety are all of a piece. By all means, let us hear Academician Guo's opinion."
The eunuch turned to the Academician: "You have heard every word of our dispute. Who is right and who is wrong? I must ask you to judge impartially — and not to side with your fellow official."
The Academician said: "If Your Lordship and Brother Tie had not asked me, I would not have presumed to speak. But since you both seek my judgment, how could I show partiality? In the matter of marriage propriety: within propriety there is further propriety, and beyond propriety there is propriety yet again — one could summon all the ministers and debate from dawn to dusk without reaching a conclusion. But in my humble opinion, the ancient kings established the rites, and the rites and music emanate from the Son of Heaven. Since the Emperor has spoken, there can be no higher propriety than this. To disobey this and cling to ancient precedent — that is not merely improper; it borders on sedition."
The eunuch roared with laughter: "Brilliant! Spoken with both force and finality! Master Tie has nothing left to say!" He ordered a young eunuch to fill a large cup to the brim, rose personally, and carried it to the Academician, bowing deeply: "I must trouble you, Your Lordship, to serve as go-between and seal this happy union."
The Academician accepted the cup, gestured for the eunuch to return to his seat, and replied: "Since you have obtained the Emperor's endorsement, to obey your command is to obey the Emperor's. How could I refuse?" He drained the cup and turned to Tie Zhongyu: "This match has the Emperor's own sanction. Even if Minister Shui and your honored father had a prior agreement, they would hardly dare dispute it. You cannot refuse, Brother Tie. Why not agree at once and make everyone happy?"
Tie Zhongyu was on the verge of exploding, but he held back, calculating: first, the eunuch kept invoking the Emperor's name, and he dared not challenge it lightly; second, the eunuch was a member of the imperial household, and rough handling would be inadvisable; third, he was deep inside the inner precincts and might not easily escape. He considered seizing the Academician and making for the door — that seemed his best route out — but if he spoke too sharply he might scare him off. So he said mildly: "Even granting that the Emperor has commanded and I dare not disobey, I must at least go home, inform my parents, and choose an auspicious day for the betrothal. For me to agree on my own — that is simply not done."
The eunuch said: "Master Tie, you have read too many books and become a pedant! If the Emperor's edict may be taken lightly and need not be obeyed, then by all means, do as you please. But if the Emperor's edict must not be defied, then expediency is called for — away with your fussy conventions! Today happens to be an auspicious day. The wine I have prepared, the musicians are standing by, and we have the great go-between in the Academician here. Inside, there are fragrant chambers and embroidered rooms aplenty. Why not consummate the match with my niece this very night and be done with it? If you worry that your father will blame you for not consulting him, tell him it was the Emperor's command — he will have to accept it. As for the trousseau, I shall supply everything in due course, down to the last item."
The Academician chimed in: "This is Eunuch Qiu's generous offer. If you refuse again, Brother Tie, you are being unreasonable."
Tie Zhongyu said: "Reason must yield to propriety, and I came here today not for a wedding, but because His Lordship conveyed the Emperor's command that I inscribe some paintings. Of the two scrolls, I have inscribed only one — the Emperor's actual errand is not yet complete. How can we take up private matters? Pray bring out the second scroll, sir. Let me finish the Emperor's business first, and then we can discuss the rest."
The eunuch said: "That is fair enough. But the second scroll is very large and upstairs — getting it down is quite troublesome. Perhaps Master Tie would be good enough to go up and inscribe it there."
Tie Zhongyu, not suspecting a trap, said: "Up or down, it is all the same — whatever suits your convenience." The eunuch said: "In that case, pray finish your cup and go up to inscribe the painting — one task at a time."
Tie Zhongyu, eager to complete the Emperor's commission so he could find a way out, rose from his seat: "The painting is urgent — I shall forgo the wine." The eunuch rose as well: "Very well, please go up." He gestured for Tie Zhongyu to ascend first.
Tie Zhongyu, seeing the Academician also rise, said: "Academician Guo, will you not come up and have a look?"
The Academician was about to follow, but the eunuch shot him a glance, and he took the hint. He changed his tune: "Inscribing a painting is an imperial commission for Brother Tie alone — it would not be proper for me to go up. When you have finished the painting and come down for the wedding, I shall be glad to do my part."
"As you wish — forgive me for leaving you," said Tie Zhongyu, and allowed the eunuch to usher him upstairs. As the verse has it:
The fish must beware the fragrant bait; the bird, the waiting bow. Who thought the Marquis of Sai's lost horse would prove a blessing? He thought he was a wild goose soaring through heaven and earth — Little knowing a swallow was trapped in the painted tower.
No sooner had Tie Zhongyu's feet touched the upper floor than the eunuch ducked back down, and two young eunuchs slammed the double doors shut. Tie Zhongyu looked about him in alarm. The entire upper story was draped in red and green, festooned with silk and carpeted with felt — a veritable nest of brocade. At the center stood an embroidered screen, and before it sat a woman. She was got up as follows:
Pearls on her face, gold rings in the palace style, Vermilion lips vast as the sea, a forehead broad as a mountain. King Yama, accustomed to such sights, would think nothing of it — But it would frighten Liu and Ruan, those fabled lovers, half to death.
When the woman saw Tie Zhongyu arrive, she hastily stood up and ordered her maids to invite him over. Tie Zhongyu tried to retreat, but the doors were already locked fast. With no alternative, he followed the maids forward, made a single deep bow, and immediately turned away to stand at a distance.
The woman herself said nothing, but a middle-aged matron beside her spoke on her behalf: "Since Master Tie has come upstairs for the wedding, you are now family — flesh and blood. There is no need for shyness. Pray sit beside the young lady."
Tie Zhongyu said: "I came upstairs by imperial command to inscribe a painting. Who said anything about a wedding?"
The matron said: "The two paintings the Emperor wishes inscribed are both downstairs. If the Emperor commanded you to inscribe them downstairs, why did you come upstairs? This is the young lady's private chamber — no stranger is permitted here."
Tie Zhongyu said: "Your master's scheme is clever, I grant you — but against me, Tie Zhongyu, it is perfectly useless!" The matron said: "You are here now, Master Tie. Why not make the best of it?"
Tie Zhongyu said: "If you charge me with having forced my way upstairs, I can prove that your master lured me up here by invoking the Emperor's command to inscribe a painting — and that, moreover, it was broad daylight, and Academician Guo was downstairs as a witness. Your accusation cannot stick. As for trying to seduce me with — if I may say so — beauty of this kind: I, Tie the Hanlin, am not merely named 'Iron' — my body and soul are iron through and through. Compared with Liu Xiahui, who sat unmoved with a woman on his lap, and with Lord Guan, who kept his candle burning through the night, I am three degrees harder still. Your beauty trap will not work!"
Now the woman was, in fact, not only plain but brazen. At first, meeting him face to face, she had put on a show of maidenly reticence. But stealing a glance at the Hanlin — his youth like water, his complexion like powder, so fair and fine that he was prettier than any girl — her blood caught fire. Hearing him dismiss the beauty trap, her patience snapped: "This gentleman speaks most rudely! We may be a eunuch's family, but our rank is not low. I am his niece — a young lady, if you please. That we obtained the Emperor's consent to give me to you in marriage is pure kindness. How dare you call it a 'beauty trap'? How dare you say it is 'useless'? Since you say it is useless — well, we eunuch-folk have no great reputation to protect. I shall stake my shamelessness against your iron, and we shall see who wins! Seize him, girls!"
The maids responded with a shout and surged forward: "Did you hear that, Master Tie? Go over and make nice — it will save us all a great deal of noise."
Tie Zhongyu was caught between indignation and dark amusement, but he held his peace. The maids, seeing his silence and the woman's fury, pressed in — one pushing him from behind, another tugging his sleeve — in a raucous commotion. He was tempted to use force, but they were women after all, and it would only make things worse. He bore it patiently, thinking: "As the proverb says: 'The mountain goblin's tricks are limited, but the old monk's composure is infinite.' I have only to ignore them."
He moved a chair to the far side of the room, sat down, and let the maids chatter and wheedle as they pleased. He sat in perfect silence, as still as stone. As the verse has it:
When hardness reaches its extreme, it turns to the softest yielding; To yield and yet not bend — that is true hardness. And what in all the world is both hard and soft at once? Only flowing water, gentle and relentless.
While Tie Zhongyu endured the maids' pestering, Eunuch Qiu suddenly appeared from the rear staircase. He barked at the maids: "How dare you behave so rudely before a distinguished guest!" Then he turned to Tie Zhongyu: "Master Tie, this match has progressed to such a point that you can hardly refuse. Why not submit gracefully, so that we all remain on good terms?"
"It is not that I refuse — propriety does not permit it."
"How so?"
"Does Your Lordship not know the statute in the Collected Institutes: 'Outer-court officials may not form connections with inner-court eunuchs'? If even a connection is forbidden, how much more a marriage?"
"That is the old regulation. If old regulations must be followed, does the Emperor's new command not deserve obedience?"
"Even so, I must first receive the imperial edict in proper form, render thanks, and then carry it out. At present, there is no edict to be seen, no thanks have been rendered, and yet I am to be married on the spot — that is absolutely out of the question. I beg your understanding."
While they were still arguing, two young eunuchs came rushing up in great agitation and drew Eunuch Qiu away downstairs.
It turned out that Regional Commander Hou had scored another triumph on the frontier, receiving the surrender of many rebels and collecting a treasure trove of tribute. He had escorted the tribute to the capital in person and was granted an imperial audience, at which the Emperor ordered a banquet in his honor. Since Tie Zhongyu had been Hou Xiao's original guarantor, the Emperor decreed that Hanlin Tie Zhongyu should attend the banquet. The attendant officer received the order and hurried to the Tie residence. Learning that Tie Zhongyu had gone to the eunuch's house, he rushed there instead. Finding Tie Zhongyu's retainers and horse waiting outside, he ran in and reported the matter to the eunuch.
Eunuch Qiu came out, heard the reason, and stood staring at the Academician — the two of them so furious they could not utter a word. The attendant officer urged haste. The eunuch had no choice but to order the doors opened and Tie Zhongyu released.
Tie Zhongyu came down without knowing why. Only when the attendant officer and his own retainers explained did he understand. With the officer pressing him, he made to leave. The eunuch, his stomach churning with frustration, said: "The banquet may be an imperial command, but so is the painting. You have inscribed only one of two scrolls! If the Emperor calls you to account tomorrow, do not say I did not warn you."
Tie Zhongyu said: "I asked you repeatedly to bring out the painting, and you hid it from me. What was I supposed to inscribe?" In fact, the second scroll had been downstairs all along — the story about its being upstairs was merely a ruse to lure Tie Zhongyu up. When the ruse worked, the scroll was laid out on the desk downstairs, ready to be used as evidence against him. Now, hearing Tie Zhongyu accuse him of hiding the painting, the eunuch pointed at the desk: "It is right there on the writing table! You simply refused to inscribe it. Academician Guo is here as a witness."
Tie Zhongyu saw the painting and said no more. He stepped up to the desk, unrolled it, and found a branch of plum blossoms, half red and half white — entirely different from the wintersweet he had inscribed before. He ground the ink, dipped his brush, and with a single sweep wrote his poem. The attendant officer urged: "Poetry takes time — Commander Hou is nearly here. We must not be late!"
"No matter," said Tie Zhongyu. He dashed off the last stroke, threw down the brush, and with a quick bow to the Academician — "Forgive me for not staying!" — strode out. The eunuch was obliged to see him off, and he mounted his horse and was gone. As the verse has it:
To walk alone and fearless — one needs only courage; To face the world with cold disdain — one needs only talent. His courage is Zhao Zilong, reborn into the world; His talent is Li Bai, come back to life.
After seeing Tie Zhongyu off, the eunuch went back inside and asked the Academician to read the second poem aloud:
A single plum puts forth a double fragrance — Examined closely, something seems amiss. Mistake it for a rosy face enhanced by snowy whiteness? Or try to find a pale complexion tinged with dawn's first blush?
Perhaps a shallow cup of wine has given her a flush; Or perhaps she has just awakened, faintly touched by morning light. Forgive the poet if his brush falters over the inscription — For the spring upon this bough requires some deliberation.
When the Academician had finished reading, the eunuch, though he could not fully appreciate its subtleties, was staggered by the speed at which it had been composed. He muttered to himself: "The little beast writes like that — and Miss Shui is said to be a literary prodigy herself. How could she give him up?"
The Academician said: "She will not give him up — but neither shall I! The only course is to take the affair of the convalescence and have a fearless censor impeach them both. Once they are forced apart, my purpose is achieved."
And from this calculation, it came to pass:
The mirror, the more it is polished, the brighter it shines; The spring, the deeper it is drawn, the clearer it runs.
If you wish to know whom the Academician recruited to submit the memorial, you must read the following chapter.