Hao Qiu Zhuan/en/Chapter 15
Chapter 15: When Parents Command with Bitter Entreaties, How Can One Refuse?
Modern English translation by Martin Woesler (2025)
To the tune of "A Young Man's Journey":
The ospreys call, the gentleman; The peach-blossoms bloom, the virtuous lady — Are they not lovers true? Flowers that naturally adore themselves, Willows that tenderly dote on their own reflection, Would surely cling to silken quilts.
Yet who would think that this gallant lady and this ardent lord Refuse the path to gentleness? They feed on reputation, drink of moral duty, Breathe in the wind and breathe out civilization — And build their own River Isle.
Now we tell that when Minister Shui arrived home and saw that Miss Bingxin had grown since they parted and was more beautiful than ever, he was greatly pleased and said: "Your father has endured no end of hardship and peril these past years, but that gives me little cause for complaint. The honors and favors that now come from the Emperor's grace give me little cause for rejoicing either. But seeing you grown up and safe and well — that truly gladdens my heart. And having found you a worthy husband fills me with satisfaction."
Miss Bingxin, hearing her father speak of finding her a worthy husband, felt a flicker of suspicion — the shadow of the guarantee affair — and half-guessed it might be Tie Zhongyu. She said: "Father, you are nearing sixty, and Mother passed away long ago. You have no sons, only me — and I am ashamed that I cannot carry on the family line. Can I bear to leave your side even for a day? How can you speak of finding me a husband? Unfilial though I am, I could never bring myself to abandon you."
Minister Shui laughed: "That is an admirable sentiment, but no matter how devoted a daughter may be, there is no precedent for a woman staying with her parents and never marrying. If the match were merely ordinary, I would have come home to discuss it with you first. But this young man — his youthful brilliance goes without saying, his talent and beauty go without saying, his chivalrous spirit goes without saying — it is his unerring eye for recognizing heroes, his fearless courage, his iron backbone, his silver tongue: these truly make one love him to distraction. I therefore made the decision myself and betrothed you to him."
Miss Bingxin, hearing these words, gradually understood. She parried: "What Father says about the man may be true, but I fear that when it comes to propriety, it is quite another matter."
Now Minister Shui, though he had concluded the betrothal agreement with Censor Tie, had been troubled by Tie Zhongyu's cryptic words — "go home and inquire for yourself." Hearing his daughter likewise speak of impropriety, and finding her words eerily in accord, he decided to press the matter directly: "Do you know who this intended husband is, my child? It is none other than Tie Zhongyu, eldest son of Censor Tie."
Miss Bingxin said: "Were it anyone else, I would still have to beg leave to decline. But since it is Tie Zhongyu — I need not even trouble to refuse, for it is self-evidently impossible. Even if I were willing, Tie Zhongyu would certainly find it unacceptable. Why? Because the proprieties of marriage have been compromised. Though my father's kind intentions have been spent in vain, at least I am spared the guilt of defying a parent's command."
Minister Shui was startled: "If Tie Zhongyu has never courted you with amorous overtures, and you have never exposed yourself by unseemly conduct, how have the proprieties of marriage been compromised?"
Miss Bingxin said: "Father does not know — there is a story behind it." She then recounted the whole affair in detail: how Young Master Guo had sought to force a marriage; how her uncle had conspired to push her into it; how a false notice of good news had been used to lure her out; how she had been abducted and dragged to the county court; how Tie Zhongyu had happened to rescue her; how he had been treacherously poisoned and left near death; and how she had secretly brought him home and nursed him back to health.
"I have been taught," she concluded, "that a man and a woman should not so much as hand objects directly to one another. How much less should they have met in such informal circumstances, or come to each other's rescue time and again! Such conduct belongs to the realm of chivalry and gratitude — but to speak now of marriage would be unconscionably careless, and that is where the difficulty lies."
Minister Shui, hearing all this, was even more delighted: "So that is what happened! No wonder Tie Zhongyu spoke in riddles that day! My child, the way you adapted to circumstances, avoided harm, and preserved yourself — truly few women in history can match you. And Tie Zhongyu, who acts boldly in the name of righteousness without the slightest hesitation — he deserves to be called an extraordinary man. It is clear that no one else could possibly be his match, and no one else could possibly be your match — you are a pair made in heaven! As for those trifling embarrassments of your time of trouble: far from being obstacles to marriage, they positively illumine it. You need not worry, my child. Leave this to me, and I assure you — you shall not be disappointed."
As the verse has it:
What the daughter shuns, The father craves. Though craving and shunning differ, Their love and admiration are the same.
Let us set aside the Shui father and daughter and their discussion of the match, and speak of them no more.
We turn instead to Young Master Guo, who, upon learning from Cheng Qi that Minister Shui had refused the proposal, was filled with a rage that cut to the bone. Then he heard that his father's memorial demanding execution had been thwarted, and that Tie Zhongyu's rescue of Hou Xiao had led to the Minister's reinstatement and promotion — this made him more furious still. And when the news reached him that Minister Shui had betrothed his daughter to the Tie family, he nearly went mad with rage.
He and Cheng Qi put their heads together desperately: "I have expended more effort on Miss Shui than I can measure, yet that young beast from the Tie family ruined everything by rescuing her. The time I tried to trick him into coming so I could thrash him, he thrashed us instead. We filed a complaint against him, but he had already got his petition in first, and we were left looking foolish. All that we brought upon ourselves — I could live with it. But what I cannot endure is this: the match with Miss Shui that I could not achieve has simply been handed to him, without his lifting a finger! I would rather die than let this stand. Brother, you must devise some plan for me."
Cheng Qi said: "When Miss Shui was alone, we could do nothing to her. Now that her father has been promoted to Minister and has returned, it is even more difficult."
"He may be a Minister, but he has no authority over me!"
"True, but opposing him will cost us dearly."
"Am I to simply let this go?"
"No, but we cannot act openly. We must work in secret to break the match." He laid out a scheme: "Their families hold reputation above all else. All we need do is take the matter of Tie Zhongyu convalescing at Miss Shui's house and spread it about in the foulest possible terms. If the gossip reaches Minister Shui's ears and he fears the disgrace, he may call the match off. And if he proves unmoved, then as a last resort we can bribe a willing censor to impeach them before the throne — and the match will certainly collapse."
Young Master Guo brightened: "An excellent plan! I shall go tomorrow to see the prefect and the county magistrate and start the rumors."
"That will not do," said Cheng Qi. "The prefect and the magistrate both know the true facts. Not only will they not believe your rumors — they will likely step forward to defend the couple. I have heard that the prefect is due to transfer soon, and the magistrate has been called to the capital — he will also be leaving shortly. Let us wait until the old officials have gone and new ones arrive who know nothing of the details. Then the young master can go and blacken Miss Shui's name, and the new officials will believe it. Once the local officials are convinced, if we arrange for someone to impeach them, we will have solid ground to stand on."
Young Master Guo was pleased: "Brother, your reckoning is faultless — you are Zhuge Liang reborn!"
Cheng Qi said: "I dare not deceive you, sir — if you will indulge me, I have stratagems more ingenious still."
"Now I know you are teasing me. I cannot believe there is anything more ingenious."
"But there is! When I was last in the capital, I noticed that your father is on intimate terms with the Marquis of Daxia. I also learned that the Marquis, whose pleasure-hall concubine was seized by Tie Zhongyu and who was placed under house arrest for three years because of it, bears Tie Zhongyu a bitter grudge. Furthermore, the Marquis has not yet produced an heir, and his wife has recently died. The young master need only inform his father and have him write a letter to the Marquis, praising Miss Shui's beauty and pointing out that she is betrothed to Tie Zhongyu. If the Marquis can be persuaded to use his influence to obtain her, he both gains a beautiful consort and wreaks vengeance upon Tie Zhongyu. He will gladly do it. If he succeeds, we need not lift a finger. Is this not a brilliant scheme?"
Young Master Guo clapped his hands with glee. Cheng Qi continued: "But do not celebrate yet, sir — I have one more stratagem to crown the jest. While in the capital, I learned that Eunuch Qiu is a close associate of your father's, and that this eunuch has a niece — rather plain, I hear — who has not yet found a husband. Why not have your father write a second letter, arranging to foist this niece upon Tie Zhongyu? That way we repay our grudges with interest."
Young Master Guo praised this scheme to the skies: "More brilliant still — and this one can be put into action at once! Getting Father to write the letters is simple enough — but I must trouble you once more with the journey to the capital."
"For the young master's sake, how could I shrink from any labor?"
As the verse has it:
Good deeds the gentleman may not accomplish, But dark schemes forever multiply among the base. The world's ways are treacherous — there is no help for it; When human affairs are thus — what can one do?
Let us set aside Young Master Guo and Cheng Qi and their plot to send letters to the capital, and speak of them no more.
We turn instead to Tie Zhongyu, studying in the Western Hills, who when the autumn examinations came, found them as easy as picking up a mustard seed — he passed effortlessly and became a juren. At the spring metropolitan examinations he passed again with equal ease, placing in the second class at the palace examination and being selected for the Hanlin Academy as a bachelor. Because of his earlier merit in guaranteeing Hou Xiao, the proffered post of Academician in Waiting was enhanced by one grade, and he was appointed a Hanlin Compiler — a most glorious achievement. By this time Tie Zhongyu was twenty-two years old.
Censor Tie pressed urgently for the wedding. But whenever Miss Shui was mentioned, Tie Zhongyu would only sigh and make excuses. Yet when they proposed to look elsewhere, no other woman suited him. Just then, Minister Shui's year of leave expired, and the court dispatched an envoy to summon him back. Censor Tie, hearing this, wrote to the Minister asking him to bring Miss Shui to the capital, so that the wedding might take place.
Minister Shui had been thinking the very same thing. He consulted Miss Bingxin: "I have been summoned by imperial command, and I do not know when I may return. You, an unmarried girl, cannot be left alone at home — it would be most improper. Better to come with me to the capital, where you can keep me company in my solitary hours."
Miss Bingxin said: "That is my own wish as well. What is the use of having a daughter if she is forever abandoned at home? I am willing to go with Father — but there is one thing I must say plainly. If we reach the capital and someone raises the matter of marriage with Tie Zhongyu, I absolutely cannot comply."
Minister Shui laughed: "My child, you worry too much. When we get to the capital, we shall see how the wind blows. But who will look after the household here?"
"Uncle can manage the overall affairs, and the details can be entrusted to Shui Yong and his wife."
Minister Shui agreed to all of it. He left the household in the care of Shui Yun and the Shui Yong couple, and set out for the capital with Miss Bingxin. As the verse has it:
The father's command lies hidden, not yet spoken; The daughter's heart already knows. Just as spring prepares to come, The plum blossom opens, facing south.
In less than a month, Minister Shui reached the capital. He returned to his former residence, presented himself at court, and received visits from all the officials. Censor Tie called upon him, and then sent Tie Zhongyu to pay his respects. Tie Zhongyu, feeling genuine esteem for the Minister as a kindred spirit and drawn, too, by the invisible thread connecting him to Miss Shui, hurried to call upon him. He addressed the Minister as "your junior," however, and pointedly did not use the title of son-in-law.
Minister Shui, seeing that Tie Zhongyu was now a Hanlin official and a young man of brilliant bearing, was thoroughly delighted and received him with special warmth. But privately he wondered: "This Hanlin Tie and my daughter are truly a match of talent and beauty — husband and wife in perfection. Yet his father concluded the betrothal long ago and sent the gifts. Can he not know? Why does his visiting card not bear the title of son-in-law? His attitude is exactly like my daughter's. When the day of the wedding comes, I fear there will be more maneuvering required." He thought further: "The betrothal between our two families has already been sealed by parental authority. He will have to comply. Let us not press the matter and give it time — everything will work out."
Some time passed. Then one day, a trusted clerk from the Ministry came to him in secret: "I have a relative who is a client of the Marquis of Daxia. He tells me that the Marquis's wife has died, and he has no heir. Recently someone sent a letter praising Your Lordship's daughter's beauty and talent, and urging the Marquis to petition the Emperor for permission to marry her. The Marquis was not sure it was true, and sent his man to make inquiries. This man, knowing that I serve in Your Lordship's ministry, came to ask me quietly."
Minister Shui asked: "What did you tell him?"
"I told him that Your Lordship's daughter has long been betrothed to the newly appointed Hanlin Tie. He asked whether the wedding had taken place, and I told him it had not. Then he left. I thought Your Lordship should know."
Minister Shui said: "I understand. If he comes asking again, tell him the wedding will be any day now." The clerk assented and left.
The Minister reflected: "This Marquis of Daxia is a dissolute drunkard who was placed under house arrest for three years for abducting other men's women. He has learned nothing and means to continue his outrages. Even if he petitions the Emperor, I have already accepted another family's betrothal gifts, and I need not fear him. But it will mean another round of arguments and another enemy. Better to explain the situation to my in-law and conclude the wedding quickly — that will spare us the trouble of contending with him." Then he thought: "Explaining it to Censor Tie will be easy enough — the difficulty lies in explaining it to my daughter."
He went to Miss Bingxin's chambers and said: "My child, this business of the match with Tie Zhongyu — I am not trying to force your hand. It is simply that every day we delay brings fresh trouble." He told her what the clerk had reported. "If you do not marry Tie Zhongyu soon, and the Marquis of Daxia finds out, he has many connections among the eunuchs at court. If machinations begin behind the palace walls, then to protest and argue will become far more difficult. You must not be so willful."
Miss Bingxin said: "It is not willfulness — it is propriety. Tell me: the clerk said someone wrote to the Marquis urging him to petition for my hand. Who was it?"
"How would I know?"
"I can tell you: it was Academician Guo."
"How do you know?"
"The Marquis of Daxia is notorious for his debauchery — a scoundrel. Academician Guo, who aids his son's wicked schemes, is likewise a scoundrel. Like attracts like, and scoundrels flock together. Moreover, the Academician nursed three grievances: first, when his son sought to marry me and Father refused; second, when his memorial demanding Father's execution backfired and Father was reinstated with a promotion; third, when he learned that Father had betrothed me to the Tie family. With three such grievances, he has incited the Marquis against me. If it is not him, who else could it be?"
Minister Shui said: "Your reasoning is flawless, but since the enemy has struck, we must take precautions."
Miss Bingxin said: "If the Marquis does not come looking for me, it will be his great good fortune. If he truly listens to these slanders and petitions the Emperor, I have the means to submit a counter-memorial on Father's behalf, forcing him to answer for every outrage he has committed."
"You may say so, my child, but it is better to resolve feuds than to create them. Marry quickly, and let them waste their scheming — that is preferable to public humiliation."
While father and daughter were still deliberating, a message arrived: Censor Tie requested an urgent meeting with the Minister. Minister Shui, who had been about to seek out the Censor himself, rode over at once on a single horse, without his full retinue.
Censor Tie met him at the door and led him into the inner hall. Dismissing all attendants, he clasped the Minister's hand and said in a low voice: "Today, as I was leaving the East Flower Gate after the morning audience, I was suddenly seized by Eunuch Qiu, who told me he has a niece he wishes to marry to my son. I immediately told him that my son was already betrothed, and when he asked to whom, I had no choice but to name Your Lordship's daughter. He said: 'If they have not yet married, a mere betrothal can still be broken. I shall send a matchmaker to press my suit.' This Eunuch Qiu knows nothing of propriety and relies solely on his influence within the palace — he is capable of anything. Since our families' betrothal is already sealed, let us speak plainly and conclude the wedding at once. That way, even if he stirs up a storm, he will be powerless — and even an imperial edict would be too late."
Minister Shui said: "So Your Lordship is troubled too! I have my own tale to tell." He related in full what his clerk had reported about the Marquis of Daxia's designs. Censor Tie said: "Since we are both beset, all the more reason to act before they can move. Once the wedding is done, they cannot raise a ripple — even an imperial decree would be useless."
Minister Shui said: "An early wedding would indeed be best, but my daughter is headstrong. Because of the suspicion arising from the earlier convalescence, her conscience is uneasy, and she keeps making excuses. I fear she may not consent on short notice."
Censor Tie said: "So your daughter and my son share the same unbending integrity! My son, too, cites this same scruple and puts me off day after day. How are we to manage them?"
Minister Shui said: "I believe the two of them genuinely love and admire each other, and desire nothing more than the union. What they resist is the shadow of suspicion cast by the convalescence — and the reason they resist it is their fear of offending the moral order. That they shun suspicion and guard the moral order is precisely what makes him a gentleman and her a virtuous lady — and precisely why their parents and the whole world hold them in esteem. Under normal circumstances, we might take our time and persuade them gently. But with the Marquis and the eunuch stirring up trouble, we can afford no delay. Our only course is for each of us to go home and explain the situation to our children, urging them to yield for the time being and conclude the match. Though they are stubborn, if we reason with them properly, they may not refuse."
Censor Tie said: "Your reasoning is most sound. Let us proceed accordingly." The two settled their plan, and Minister Shui departed.
As the verse has it:
Flowers rarely bloom together; the moon is rarely full. Wild creepers and idle tendrils cling and pester without end. Only when two hearts hold no shame Can a good marriage worthy of the moral order come to be.
After seeing Minister Shui off, Censor Tie summoned his son home and laid the matter before him: "On account of the eunuch's impertinence, I was already thinking of completing the wedding. Then Minister Shui came to tell me that the Marquis of Daxia, whose wife has died, is being urged to take Miss Shui as a second wife. The Minister is alarmed and came to find me. Both families feel the same urgency. The time has come — this must not be delayed any longer. My son, you must not persist in your former arguments and trouble my heart."
Tie Zhongyu said: "How dare I disobey my father's command? But the ancient sages, at the point where righteousness was at stake, held firm in haste and held firm in adversity. Should I, your son, do otherwise? How can these wasp-stings and scorpion-bites of petty malice make me rush and scramble and betray my own convictions? As for Eunuch Qiu, this is nothing more than Academician Guo's mischief — what can it do to taint me?"
Censor Tie said: "You may be able to ride out the storm, but you should think of Miss Shui and the trouble she faces."
Tie Zhongyu said: "If Your Lordship insists on this course, then let it be clearly understood with Minister Shui: we may announce the wedding publicly, to cut off all covetous eyes — but in private, the marriage shall remain unconsummated. I shall not share the bridal bed."
Censor Tie thought to himself: "Once the wedding is publicly announced, the formal bond is sealed. What happens behind closed doors — consummation or no consummation — I shall leave to him for now." Aloud he said: "Your proposal does serve both ends. Very well, I agree." He ordered preparations for choosing an auspicious date.
The following day, a letter arrived from Minister Shui. Censor Tie opened it and read:
"The matter we discussed: upon returning home, I spoke to my daughter, expecting her to comply. But her nature is unyielding in the extreme — she will hear of nothing but avoiding suspicion, with no regard for the danger. After much bitter pleading, she has at last agreed to a nominal marriage as an expedient, but insists that the nuptial cup shall remain symbolic — the union shall not be consummated. I think to myself: once the silken bond is formally named, the nuptial cup cannot be refused forever. Let us accept her terms for now and work upon her gradually. I wonder whether my esteemed in-law concurs? I write to seek your counsel.
"Your humble brother, [name] presents his respects."
Censor Tie smiled after reading: "Truly they are a pair made in heaven! To gain such a daughter-in-law is our family's great fortune — and a glory to the moral order as well. But if she comes to our house and refuses to consummate the marriage, it will set people talking. Better that my son go to her house to wed — then what happens within the bridal chamber, whether they consummate or not, will be no one's business." He wrote back proposing this arrangement. Minister Shui, delighted that his daughter would not have to leave home, agreed even more readily. The two families settled on a supremely auspicious day, and because they wished the union to be widely known, they invited a great many senior officials to the wedding banquet.
On the appointed day, there were grand fanfares and splendid celebrations. At dusk, Censor Tie set out in state, preceded by the Censorate's full ceremonial escort, with Tie Zhongyu in his own procession under the Hanlin Academy's insignia. Both wore their wedding robes and rode in grand palanquins to Minister Shui's residence for the wedding.
At the gate, Minister Shui welcomed them into the front hall, where they greeted the assembled guests and relatives. After the formalities, Censor Tie was invited to remain for the banquet in the front hall, while Tie Zhongyu was conducted to the rear hall for the wedding ceremony with Miss Bingxin.
When Tie Zhongyu arrived at the rear hall, night had already fallen. Pearl curtains hung all around the courtyard, and lanterns and candles blazed as bright as daylight. On either side of the hall, musicians were concealed in the wing rooms, playing softly. Two banquet tables were set facing each other, one to the east and one to the west. Two red felt carpets were spread on the floor below.
Many serving-maids had already gathered around Miss Bingxin and were waiting in the western part of the hall. When Tie Zhongyu reached the curtain, two maids hastily drew it aside to admit him.
Miss Bingxin, seeing him enter, displayed not the slightest maidenly coyness. Instead, she stepped forward with a beaming smile to greet him: "I have long borne in my heart the great kindness you showed me, sir, and have wondered whether I could ever express my gratitude in this life. But it seems heaven in its mercy has decreed it, and my father's command has unwittingly fulfilled my wish. Now I may at last make known my feelings. Pray accept your humble servant's obeisance."
When Tie Zhongyu had seen Miss Bingxin at the county court, she had been beautiful but plainly dressed. Today, adorned in gold and jade and dressed like a celestial maiden, the sight of her left him dazed. He replied: "I have received your lady's boundless generosity, and dare not praise it aloud lest I sully its fragrance. I have offered silent prayers in my dreams and inscribed my gratitude upon my heart. Now that I am honored with a glimpse of your immortal grace, I too wish to make my obeisance."
Each took their place upon a red carpet, and they exchanged four ceremonial bows. The musicians in the wing rooms played softly, unseen. When the bowing was done and the music ceased, the two took their seats opposite each other, east and west. The maids served tea first, and then — for this was a wedding feast that dispensed with the formalities of host and guest — wine was brought and they drank facing one another.
After three rounds of wine, Tie Zhongyu spoke: "I was saved from the pit by your lady's compassion — a debt I can never forget and dare not repay with mere words. But more than that: I was a wanderer adrift, and had it not been for your lady's clear counsel, I might still not know where I had ended up. Though my humble degree is of little worth, your lady's nurturing grace is ever present in my heart and cannot be removed."
Miss Bingxin said: "When a crisis comes, who would not offer humble advice? When asked the way, even a child can point the road. The difficulty lies not in giving counsel, but in heeding it — and in following through. That you were able to follow the counsel, sir, is what makes it your achievement. What part did I play? If we speak of true generosity, what you bestowed upon me — at the county court, one might say that was but a passing incident with no great stakes. But in the case of Hou Xiao, the matter came before the highest judicial court, touching the Emperor himself. How could that be called a trifle? Yet you accomplished it as though it were nothing, with a jest and a laugh. Though your chivalrous spirit was heaven-born, it was your eloquence that moved men, your righteous words that won conviction, your ability to stir both sovereign and minister — and thus, through you, my father was restored from ruin. Even if I gave my life, it would repay not a fraction of that debt. How much less can I presume to decline the honor of serving you at hearth and broom? If I have declined, it is only because of the shadow of suspicion cast by your convalescence in my house. Though your heart and my heart are both clear, those who hear the tale at second hand are not so certain. Now that we find ourselves between dangers — enemies who envy, enemies who hate, enemies who slander — who can promise that there will be no insult? Who can promise that there will be no calumny? If we yield to our parents' command and think only of tonight's happiness, and if even a whisper arises, then you and I are both caught in the whisper — and how shall we clear our names? Better to wait until the idle talk has died away, and then seal our bond under the clear sky and bright sun. That way, my misfortune shall not become a blemish upon your honor. Do you not agree?"
Tie Zhongyu bowed his head repeatedly: "My longing for you, my lady, could not be expressed even by the parched earth's yearning for the clouds and rain. To share your company for even an hour seems like heaven itself. When both our fathers commanded, did I not wish with all my heart for the ospreys on the river-isle, for the waterplants in the stream? Yet I held back in fear, dreading that my eagerness might leave you with an everlasting regret. But now your gentle words express perfectly what I dared not say. Since we are of one mind, there can be no dissent. All shall come right in the end — perhaps this is the meaning of today."
Miss Bingxin said: "Even today's proceedings are forced upon us by necessity — our only aim is to silence the Marquis and the eunuch. There was no other way."
Tie Zhongyu said: "I have always believed that the Marquis of Daxia and Eunuch Qiu are but straw men — wind-swept cattle and horses, as the saying goes — with no real connection to us. The puppeteer behind them is clearly the Guo father and son. Now that this scheme has failed, do you suppose their malice will simply subside? What will they attempt next?"
Miss Bingxin said: "I have heard it said that what is not yet accomplished can be shattered, and what is nearly accomplished can be snatched away. But what is already accomplished can neither be shattered nor snatched — the only recourse left is to spread slander and try to drive a wedge between us. That is precisely why I dare not share your pillow tonight: so that the whole empire may know that this white jade remains as unblemished as ever, and the blue flies of calumny will have nowhere to land."
Tie Zhongyu said: "Your argument, my lady, preserves the integrity of your person without yielding a single point to the slanderers — truly the union of virtue and wisdom. But consider: during the convalescence, we came and went by a direct path without any go-between, and we lived under the same roof, a man and a woman alone. At that time, that you and I were blameless was known only to ourselves — no one else could verify it. If malicious talk should arise, even a sympathetic listener would say at best 'perhaps there was nothing to it' — but who could prove it? And if it cannot be proven, then the matter will hang forever in doubt, and what shall we do then?"
Miss Bingxin said: "On this point, you may rest easy. I have always believed that whom heaven has brought into being, heaven will also bring to fulfillment. The obstacles that human malice places in the way serve only to temper one's integrity and refine one's reputation. The gentleman achieves it; the base man forfeits it — they diverge at every turn. Consider yourself, sir: your righteous spirit is like a cloud, your heart is like iron, you cannot be swayed by rank or reward, you cannot be bent by threats or force. If this were not heaven-given, you could never have reached such heights. As for me, though I am but an insignificant girl, I have some knowledge of the great principles and some familiarity with the proper deportment of a wife — and I trust that these, too, were given me by heaven. Were it not for some unseen design, how could we, as distant as the sun rising in the east and the moon setting in the west, ever have met? Round peg and square hole, our paths should never have crossed. Yet we met as strangers on the road, and you showed me compassion without a second thought. Through adversity and mutual aid, I too cast caution aside. In all of this, heaven's intent is already dimly visible. At the time of the convalescence, though the heart's motive was public, the circumstances were private — and so I wished to stay but dared not, wished to draw near but dared not. Now, today, with our parents' command and the go-between's word, the occasion is public — yet the private heart has not yet been cleared. Therefore, though the bond is sealed, I dare not call it sealed; though we are united, I dare not consummate the union — for I wish to stand before you, a gentleman, with no stain upon my integrity. This is my own reckoning, but it is also the fulfillment of heaven's design. Since you and I are both fulfilling heaven's design, how could heaven fail to fulfill its part? For heaven to bring us forth and then fail to bring us together — that would make heaven's work a sham. Assuredly, it shall not be so. But heaven's ways are subtle and not easily fathomed. You have only to wait in patience. If heaven watches with clear eyes, our two hearts shall be vindicated. And even if they are never vindicated — even if things remain as they are, with 'husband and wife' as the name and 'friends' as the reality, growing old together among morning flowers and evening moonlight — that too might make a tale worthy of the ages."
Tie Zhongyu's face lit up with joy: "My lady's sublime reasoning has opened my eyes as if a thatched roof had been lifted from my mind. From this day forward, I shall attend to human duty and await heaven's decree, without daring to harbor further doubts."
The two talked on, utterly in sympathy. First they spoke of all Young Master Guo's malicious schemes — how each had been "luring the gentleman into the trap"; then of all the Academician's poisonous machinations — how each, perversely, had only hastened the very outcome he wished to prevent.
As the verse has it:
The nuptial cup — why not drink and rejoice? They drink but do not consummate — and find peace therein. If one could fathom the subtlety within, One would see how vast and generous is the sages' moral order.
Tie Zhongyu and Miss Bingxin drank together until both were pleasantly flushed, and only then did they stop. The serving-maids escorted Tie Zhongyu to the eastern bridal chamber to sleep, while Miss Shui retired to the western pavilion.
This union-that-was-not-a-union was to bring about:
Creeping vines entangled anew; Silken threads knotted once again.
If you wish to know what happened next, you must read the following chapter.