Hao Qiu Zhuan/en/Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Five Nights Without Transgression: Daring to Invite the Sage to Drink
Modern English translation by Martin Woesler (2025)
A poem says:
Marvel not at her slender waist, her tapering hands so fine, Nor at those arching brows that knit in playful, pensive care. A warm heart yet unscorched keeps feelings cold as ice; Bitter counsel, once accepted, turns each word to honey-sweet.
Since there is nothing to reproach, one ought to trust oneself; Not knowing any cause for shame, what grounds are there for blame?
If one resolves to keep the three thousand rites intact, Then even a hidden dragon will find no place to hide.
It was told how Shui Yun, in high spirits, went over to lay hold of some fault in Miss Bingxin. But to his surprise, it was she who produced a great many compelling arguments that so overwhelmed him he could not open his mouth to reply. He had no choice but to return in silence. Privately he thought: "This girl is so sharp-tongued and quick-witted — how can one ever get the better of her? Unless I catch her in some actual fault, there is no way." While he was still turning this over in his mind, Young Master Guo sent someone to invite him. He went to see him and first related the whole matter: how the Iron young gentleman was in truth a man, and how the young lady had contrived a stratagem to have him brought to her house to convalesce.
When Young Master Guo heard this, he was seized with fury: "She is a young girl living in her boudoir — how dare she keep a young man in her house! You are her own uncle, sir — you should have sternly rebuked and instructed her!"
Shui Yun said: "How could I not rebuke her? But that mouth of hers is like a sharp blade — how dreadfully she can talk! Before I could finish a single sentence, she was already citing the ancients and invoking modern precedents, pouring forth endless arguments until I had no room to get a word in."
He then repeated Miss Bingxin's words in full. Young Master Guo, having heard them, stamped his foot: "All this is nothing but the self-serving talk of a woman hiding a paramour! How can one believe her?"
Shui Yun said: "Believe her one cannot. But at present we have caught no fault in her, and there is nothing to be done."
Young Master Guo said: "Yesterday Cheng Qi told me that the young man surnamed Tie is quite handsome. The other day in the magistrate's court, the moment he set eyes on your niece's beauty, he deliberately made trouble for the magistrate, hoping your niece would be grateful and thus open a path for himself. And your niece's bringing him home to convalesce — was that truly out of gratitude? I suspect those fine words about public duty are merely a cover for private desire. Here we have a lone man and an unattached woman sharing a single dwelling, and between them there is both obligation and affection. Even a sage, I fear, could not hold firm in such a situation."
Shui Yun said: "Mere speculation proves nothing — she will never submit to that. Better let me return and tonight send a little maid to hide over there, to observe what they do and what they say. Should there be the slightest impropriety for us to seize upon, she will have no defense."
Young Master Guo said: "That is well reasoned."
Shui Yun took his leave and went home. He waited until after dusk, then quietly opened the side door and sent a young maid through to hide in the woodshed and eavesdrop on their conversation and conduct. The maid listened for half the night. Only after Miss Bingxin had retired within to sleep did the maid slip back to report to Shui Yun: "The Iron young gentleman — though his illness is said to be somewhat improved — is still unable to rise. He sat up in bed and even took his congee there."
Shui Yun asked: "And where was the young lady?"
The maid said: "The young lady was out in the main hall, watching the serving girls — some decocting medicine, others cooking congee."
Shui Yun asked again: "Did the young lady enter his room?"
The maid said: "The young lady did not enter the room."
He asked further: "Did the Iron young gentleman speak with the young lady?"
The maid said: "I did not hear them speak. I only saw the boy Xiao Dan come out to relay a message: 'Please ask the young lady to retire and rest, and not to exert herself too much, lest it prove unsettling.'"
Shui Yun said: "And how did the young lady respond?"
The maid said: "The young lady told the serving girls to say to the Iron young gentleman: 'The young lady has already retired within.' But in truth the young lady was still sitting in the hall. It was only after she had ascertained that the young gentleman was asleep that she went inside. When I saw she had retired, there was nothing more to overhear, and so I slipped back."
Shui Yun listened and said, brooding: "Can this girl truly be pure as ice and flawless as jade, with not a flicker of desire? I do not believe it." He therefore sent the maid on the second night, the third, and the fourth — four nights in succession. Each time the maid's report was the same: not a single word that touched upon private feelings. Shui Yun's scheme had come to nothing. He could only go back to Young Master Guo and report: "I sent a young maid to hide there and listen for three or four nights. There was nothing but the most respectful propriety — a host and guest maintaining perfect decorum, without the slightest impropriety. My niece truly does speak with a clear conscience."
Young Master Guo shook his head vigorously: "Old sir, these words might fool a simpleton. In all of history, how many men have been a Liu Xiahui?[1] Let me go to the magistrate and have him issue a summons to seize one of her personal maids. A single turn of the thumbscrews, and the truth will come pouring out. Then not only will your niece's mouth be silenced — I dare say even your own mouth, sir, will have nothing to say!"
Shui Yun protested: "That is a terrible injustice! Would I lie to you? The maid reports what she reports. I myself have my suspicions — how can you suspect me as well?"
Young Master Guo said: "If you are not concealing anything from me, then go back and make further discreet inquiries."
Shui Yun had no choice but to comply.
Young Master Guo then went to see the county magistrate and related the full matter — how the Iron young gentleman was indeed at the Shui house convalescing, and all the preceding events — urging him to issue warrants to seize a maid for interrogation. The magistrate said: "An official must conduct himself with official propriety. In all matters, great or small, there must be a complainant before one can issue a warrant. There is no precedent for an official to arbitrarily seize someone over an affair of the boudoir that remains entirely uncertain."
Young Master Guo said: "If we do not act, are we to sit by under Your Honor's administration while a man and woman openly carry on in debauchery, bringing shame upon the moral order of the court?"
The magistrate said: "Debauchery certainly harms the moral order. But if matters are not as you describe — if there is no debauchery — would that not in fact bring glory to the moral order? Moreover, Miss Shui's conduct on several occasions has been most extraordinary, and this young Iron is himself a man of striking character, courageous beyond the common run. One cannot judge them by ordinary standards."
Young Master Guo said: "I have expended no end of scheming on this Miss Shui, as Your Honor well knows, yet she treats me as a stranger. This Iron, with nothing whatever to commend him, is received as an honored guest. How am I to contain my vexation?"
The magistrate said: "Let the honorable sir not be hasty. I have in my employ a doorman called Shan You, who excels at scaling walls, climbing over rooftops, and creeping through the narrowest gaps. I have just discovered this talent of his and was on the point of dismissing and punishing him. Since you have this unclear matter on your hands, let me put his punishment to use: I shall order him to spy secretly, and the question of chastity or lewdness shall be settled at once."
Young Master Guo said: "If you can do this and strip her of all concealment, I shall be deeply grateful for Your Honor's intervention."
The magistrate accordingly had Shan You brought before him. He gave a nod and ordered him to kneel, then spoke: "Your offenses by rights should earn you dismissal and a beating. But there is one task I have for you. If you accomplish it satisfactorily, I shall pardon you and let the matter drop."
Shan You knocked his head on the ground repeatedly: "Since Your Honor is merciful enough to grant reprieve, if there is an errand to run, how would your servant dare not give his utmost?"
The magistrate said: "The house of the former Vice-Minister Shui, inside the South Gate — do you know it?"
Shan You said: "Your servant knows it."
The magistrate said: "His daughter, the young lady, has taken in a young gentleman surnamed Tie to convalesce. It is not clear whether this was for public or private reasons. Go and spy on them, find out the truth, and report back to me. I shall then pardon your previous offenses — I give you my word. But if your report is uncertain, or if you fabricate falsehoods and create trouble, do not expect to keep your head."
Shan You kowtowed again and again: "How would your servant dare!"
The magistrate had the bailiffs release Shan You. As the verse goes:
The blue sky sees not what lies beneath an upturned bowl; Only the kitchen knows the heart within the roasting meat. Say not that spying through cracks is an ignoble thing — Without it, how would one distinguish chastity from sin?
Young Master Guo, seeing that the magistrate had dispatched Shan You to investigate, took his leave and went home to await the report.
Now Shan You, having received the magistrate's commission, dared not delay. He crept to the Shui mansion, examined the front and back with care, and waited until all was quiet. Then, exercising his skill, he chose a low and secluded spot, scaled the wall, and slipped inside. He stole to the outside of the kitchen and listened. He heard voices within the kitchen saying: "Prepare a feast in the main hall — a recovery dinner for the Iron young gentleman." He then crept to the main hall. He saw Miss Shui standing there giving orders for the arrangements. From behind the hall he climbed lightly up through a screened doorway to the main beam, where he curled himself into a ball, crouched down, and peered at the scene below.
He saw Miss Shui direct the servants to hang a crimson curtain straight down from the center of the great hall, dividing it into two halves, east and west. On the eastern side, outside the curtain, a banquet was laid with a pair of bright candles burning high — this was for the Iron young gentleman. On the western side, within the curtain, another banquet was laid, but with no lamps or candles, all in darkness — this was where Miss Shui herself would sit as hostess. From the dark western side one could see through to the brightly lit eastern side; but from the bright eastern side one could not see into the dark west. Before each side of the curtain a red felt carpet was spread for the purpose of salutation. Two male servants waited on the eastern side; two matrons stood on either side of the curtain to relay messages. All pouring of wine and serving of dishes was done by maids. When everything was perfectly arranged, she sent Xiao Dan to invite the young gentleman to come out.
Now Tie Zhongyu was by nature a man of iron constitution. It was only because he had been poisoned that his strength had failed him. After five or six days of quiet rest, with Miss Bingxin carefully attending to his medicines and adjusting his diet, his vigor gradually returned until he was nearly his old self again. Miss Bingxin, seeing that her plan had succeeded, was full of joy, and so she prepared this feast to celebrate his recovery.
Tie Zhongyu, receiving the invitation, came out of his room. When he saw the hanging curtain and the well-ordered banquet that Miss Bingxin had prepared, he was not only deeply grateful but also profoundly impressed. He stood on the red carpet on the eastern side and asked a matron to convey a message, requesting the young lady to accept his bow of thanks. Before the matron could respond, Miss Bingxin's clear voice was already heard from behind the curtain:
"Your humble servant, Shui Bingxin, owes the young gentleman an immeasurable debt for his chivalrous rescue from the tiger's jaws. Such vast kindness and great virtue are no less than those of heaven and earth, of father and mother. Moreover, on the public stage of the magistrate's court, the young gentleman himself graciously instructed me. In principle, these empty precautions against impropriety should not be necessary. Yet my father is far away, banished to the frontier garrison, and both the young gentleman and I are as yet unwed — a time of particular delicacy. Now that I have prevailed upon the young gentleman to lodge here, in a place so conspicuous to all eyes, there was no alternative but to adopt these worldly measures of propriety, to serve in place of Lord Guan's bright candle.[2] I beg the young gentleman not to laugh, and not to take offense."
Tie Zhongyu said: "In the young lady's conduct in the world, she employs both the constant rules and the expedient with equal mastery. In her treatment of others, feeling and principle are perfectly wedded. I search through ancient and modern times for such excellence among women of the inner chambers, and I find none. Consider my own case: I, Tie Zhongyu, fell victim to a treacherous scheme and could only await death. Had the young lady lacked the candle's light of discernment, she would not have known to save me. Had she lacked the art of the hidden dragon, she could not have saved me. Had she lacked the confidence of self-trust, she would not have dared to save me. Only the young lady, with her genius, her gallantry, her lofty judgment — unique through all the ages — was able, without stirring a ripple, to pluck me from the flames. Neither gods nor demons could have fathomed it. Truly, she would put the great knight Ju Meng to shame and make the hero Zhu Jia fold his arms in defeat. It is to her alone that I owe my life, snatched from the very brink of death. Such grace and virtue are beyond all repayment. I beg the young lady to take her seat and receive my bow."
Miss Bingxin said: "It was because of the kindness the young gentleman showed me that the young gentleman was harmed by the villains. Now that the young gentleman is safe, my guilt may be reduced by a fraction — how dare I speak of virtue? It is I who owe a bow of gratitude to the young gentleman."
When she had finished speaking, the two of them, separated by the curtain, exchanged four bows each, and only then sat down.
Miss Bingxin filled a cup to the brim and had a maid carry it to the young gentleman's table, inviting him to sit. Tie Zhongyu also filled a cup and had a maid take it behind the curtain to return the toast to Miss Bingxin. The two sat down. Before they had drunk three rounds, Miss Bingxin asked: "When the young gentleman came to this place, what was his original purpose?"
Tie Zhongyu said: "I had no particular errand in coming here. It was only because in the capital, when my father was wrongfully imprisoned, I was so enraged that I broke into the Marquis of Dagua's Hall of Leisured Ease, rescued the women who had been abducted, and proved his crimes. The court sentenced the Marquis to three years' confinement, and so I made an enemy. My father, fearing further trouble, ordered me to travel under the guise of study to avoid the danger. Unexpectedly I arrived here and antagonized this villainous magistrate. He tried to have me killed, but thanks to the young lady I was saved. Since he failed to destroy me, I dare say it is he who will come to grief at my hands. Tomorrow I shall march straight into his court and demand to know how a magistrate — a father and mother of the people, drawing the court's generous salary — can fail to redress the people's wrongs and instead serve as a hawk and hound for the powerful, entrapping the innocent. First I shall humiliate him publicly, so that the scholars and commoners will hold him in contempt. Then I shall go to the Provincial Governor and have him impeached and arrested, to vent the fury in my breast. The Governor was a classmate of my father's — he is sure to comply."
Miss Bingxin said: "If we speak of the magistrate's scheming to harm others, an impeachment would not be unjust. But the other day in court, when the young gentleman so thoroughly humiliated him, it was a considerable blow to his authority, and he naturally harbors resentment. Moreover, the two words 'power' and 'profit' are the constant preoccupation of petty officials. He saw that my father has been dismissed and that old Master Guo may enter the Grand Secretariat, and so he felt obliged to curry favor with his son. But consider — his years of study by lamplight, the hardships of passing the imperial examinations — if one impeaches and destroys him in a moment of anger, it is perhaps an act of excessive harshness. Besides, the young gentleman's initial confrontation with the magistrate verged on the rough and impetuous, and his protection of my person could be construed as rash. A man of the dusty world, with vulgar eyes — how would he recognize that a hero's actions lie outside ordinary conventions? I would counsel the young gentleman to let the matter rest and refrain from contention. In time, the magistrate will come to see for himself that neither the young gentleman nor I can be soiled or stained, and he will surely feel ashamed and repent his folly."
Tie Zhongyu, hearing this, sat up straight and said with grave composure: "I, Tie Zhongyu, have always relied on my sense of right and wrong, acting boldly and never yielding to anyone, priding myself on the chivalry of a thousand ages. Now, hearing the young lady's noble discourse, I realize that all my former deeds were the courage of hot blood, not the courage of benevolence and righteousness. Because I have dealt with others through hot blood, others have repaid me with harm. Looking back, the magistrate's attempt on my life was something my own hot temper invited. Now, having received the young lady's gracious instruction, I swear I shall mend my ways and follow her counsel. Never again shall I give way to the wild arrogance of old. What good fortune is this!" As he warmed to the subject, he filled his cup and drank deeply.
Miss Bingxin said: "The young gentleman's chivalry springs from his inborn nature. Whether he acts or restrains himself, there is no calculation in it — the capacity of heaven and earth is no greater. My humble words — what benefit could they bring? If I urge and exhort so earnestly, it is only out of a wish to intercede with the magistrate on his behalf."
Tie Zhongyu said: "Since the young lady has shown me so clearly, I shall naturally put the magistrate from my mind. But I have one further concern. I fear the magistrate, in his anxiety and suspicion, will not be able to put me from his mind. Though he cannot harm me, he will inevitably resort to slandering the young lady in order to incriminate me. The young lady's jade may be without flaw — what need she fear from buzzing flies? Yet when flies gather day after day, they are a nuisance all the same. By staying here, am I, Tie Zhongyu, any different from those flies? Through your kind nursing my health is restored. Tomorrow I shall take my leave and depart for good, to silence the mouths of petty men."
Miss Bingxin said: "Strictly speaking, the young gentleman and I should not have met at all. That I dared to break propriety and bring the young gentleman here was because his kindness was profound and his illness grave and critical. Now that you have recovered, whether to stay or go is entirely in the young gentleman's hands — I dare not urge you to stay. Though I dare not urge it, to fix tomorrow as the day of departure seems too abrupt. Allow me to propose three days' time, so that both gratitude and duty may be properly fulfilled. Would the young gentleman consent?"
Tie Zhongyu said: "The young lady's judgment is perfectly measured. How dare I not comply?"
With that, the maids brought wine.
Tie Zhongyu drank several more cups. A warm flush of wine came over him, and his heart was full. He said: "I, Tie Zhongyu, am far from home. The hidden thoughts of my heart ought not to be crudely laid before the young lady. Yet when a clear mirror hangs on high, one dare not fail its light. Forgive me, then, for speaking of small things. I, Tie Zhongyu, am now twenty years of age. Thanks to my parents' protection, the upright teachers and worthy friends I have known are not few. Yet never has a single one produced a piercing argument or a subtle insight sufficient to win the conviction of my heart. Now, by some happy chance, without design, I have had the fortune to meet the young lady. Everything I have felt but could not express, the young lady has already put into words. Truly it is said: 'Those who gave me life are my father and mother; the one who knows me is Bao Zi.'[3] If I could remain at your side morning and evening, hearing what I have never heard — that would be my dearest wish. But as men and women must observe their proper distance, I dare not presume to ask. Tomorrow I depart, and in leaving this great highway I enter a path of confusion. Beset by endless doubts, I have one earnest request — dare I speak it?"
Miss Bingxin said: "To seek counsel from the blind — even the young gentleman cannot escape mockery for that. Yet the sage does not disdain the gleanings of the woodcutter; and the young gentleman's question, I am sure, conceals some wonderful reasoning. Do not hesitate to ask, that my poor understanding may be broadened."
Tie Zhongyu said: "I, Tie Zhongyu, came here originally for the purpose of study and travel. Yet I find that my wandering has no fixed destination, and my study no fixed master. I have heard it said that boats are best for the south and horses for the north — yet I, Tie Zhongyu, have been drifting recklessly through the world, with no clear purpose. In the end, I do not know where I should wander or what I should study. No one knows me as the young lady does. I humbly beg her instruction."
Miss Bingxin said: "No wandering is broader than wandering through the world, yet the world does not extend beyond the family hearth. No study is loftier than the study of the sages, yet the sages are nothing more than the fulfillment of one's inborn nature. Han Yu wrote: 'Were there no Confucius in the world, then Han Yu would not be enrolled among his disciples.' This too relies on one's innate nature being fully realized. With a nature such as the young gentleman's, allied to selfless integrity — were there no Confucius in the world, who would dare enroll the young gentleman among his disciples? I would counsel the young gentleman not to abandon what is near in pursuit of what is far, nor to trust others while distrusting himself. Rather than racing about in search of instruction, it were better to return home and engage in reflection. Moreover, your honored father holds the rank of Censor-in-Chief, a model in his own right. The capital is the Son of Heaven's imperial city, a treasury of culture and civilization. If the young gentleman takes up his father's legacy and serves with dignity at court, that too would be no mean achievement. Why wander alone and forlorn to the ends of the earth, seeking fame among strangers? As for avoiding enemies — to my mind, if one is not careful in cultivating one's person, every road becomes hostile territory. From what, then, would one flee? What does the young gentleman think of this?"
Tie Zhongyu, hearing this, could not conceal his delight. He rose hastily and made a deep bow: "The young lady's wonderful discourse has opened my beclouded mind. All the doubts that plagued me are now resolved. How great is this kindness!"
The maids, seeing how animated the conversation had become, brought out a large goblet. Tie Zhongyu took it without demur and drank with evident pleasure. Setting the cup down, he said: "The young lady — a beauty of the inner chambers, in the flower of her youth — how does she come to possess such profound learning? Her analysis of sentiment and principle surpasses what the most venerable scholars and aged Confucians could express in a single phrase. Truly she is the one upon whom the genius of mountains and rivers has been uniquely bestowed. I am filled with admiration!"
Miss Bingxin said: "A girl babbling nonsense in her boudoir — what does she know of learning? If I ventured to speak so presumptuously, it was only to express, in some small measure, the regard I feel. The young gentleman praises me beyond what the truth warrants, and I blush with shame."
The two spoke with perfect sympathy. Tie Zhongyu drank several more cups and was beginning to feel the wine. Fearing he might commit some discourtesy, he rose and begged leave. Miss Bingxin did not press him to stay: "I ought to offer a few more cups, but I fear that taxing the young gentleman's newly recovered strength too greatly would do more harm than good." She called for a lantern and had him escorted to the study to rest.
This one banquet lasted a full watch of the night. A thousand words were exchanged — the two becoming as intimate as the closest of friends. Yet even at the height of their warmth, not a single word touched upon private feelings. Truly:
White jade without flaw — that is the rarest treasure; A blue lotus unstained — from it the strangest fragrance rises. Had they fallen into the snare of amorous hearts, Their fame for elegance would still have wounded the moral order.
Miss Bingxin had the maids see Tie Zhongyu to bed, then directed the servants to clear away the feast. Only then did she retire to the upper chamber to rest.
Now Shan You, perched on the main beam, had seen everything that Tie Zhongyu and Miss Bingxin did with perfect clarity, and had heard every word they spoke in full detail. He waited until everyone had dispersed, then climbed down. He made his way back to the low wall, scaled it again, and went home to sleep.
The next morning at dawn, he went straight to the magistrate's office. The magistrate received him in his private chambers and interrogated him minutely. Shan You then related how he had crept in, how he had hidden on the beam; how Miss Bingxin had hung a curtain across the center of the hall — outside it a banquet was laid for the Iron young gentleman, lit by two pairs of bright candles; within the curtain another banquet was laid in darkness for Miss Shui herself; how red carpets were set on each side, and the two had bowed four times to each other before sitting down to drink; and how, in the midst of it all, the Iron young gentleman had spoken of his illness, saying it had all been caused by His Honor, and that since His Honor had failed to kill him, "perhaps it is His Honor who will be destroyed by him."
The magistrate was greatly alarmed: "He said he would destroy me? How?"
Shan You said: "He said the Provincial Governor is his father's classmate. He intended first to march into Your Honor's court, demand how a magistrate — a father and mother of the people — could fail to redress wrongs and serve only as a hawk and hound for the powerful, humiliate Your Honor publicly so the scholars and commoners would hold you in contempt, and then go to the Governor and have you impeached and arrested."
The magistrate heard this and stamped his foot in agitation: "What is to be done?" He was about to order the bailiffs to take down the complaint board and put up a notice saying the magistrate was not holding court that day. Shan You said: "Your Honor need not panic — the Iron young gentleman will not come today."
The magistrate asked: "Why not?"
Shan You said: "Thanks to Miss Shui, who earnestly dissuaded him at length. She said the magistrate's attempt to harm the Iron young gentleman arose from the young gentleman's own provocation, and one could not lay all the blame on the magistrate. She said that heroes and great men act openly and above-board, and a routine official could not be expected to understand. She said the magistrate, seeing that Minister Shui had been dismissed and that old Master Guo might be elevated to the Grand Secretariat, could not resist currying favor — the act of a petty man, beneath contention. She said that since both the young gentleman's rescue of her and her rescue of him could easily arouse suspicion, who would believe it was done out of public duty rather than private feeling? She said that in time, when the magistrate discovered their conduct was pure as ice and flawless as jade, he would naturally feel ashamed. She also said that earning a jinshi degree was no easy thing, and to destroy one lightly was a pity. The Iron young gentleman, hearing all this, agreed and was quite pleased, and so abandoned his intention."
The magistrate was overjoyed: "So Miss Shui is a good person after all! How fortunate that the other day I had the good sense to send her home in a sedan chair." He then asked: "What else was said? Were there any words of flirtation?"
Shan You said: "First the two discussed scholarship for a while, then debated the sages — 'How well you put it!' 'How brilliantly you argue!' — with the greatest mutual enthusiasm. They drank wine and talked for a full watch of the night, exchanging a thousand words and more. Your servant cannot remember them all, but sentence by sentence, everything I heard was spoken with the utmost respect. There was not half an indecent word, not the slightest hint of flirtation. Truly, they are a Lu Nanzi and a Liu Xiahui reborn."
The magistrate listened, still not entirely convinced: "A young woman as lovely as a flower, a young man as fine as jade, alone together in the quiet of the night, drinking face to face — and both of them sharp-witted, affectionate people — can it really be that they felt not the faintest stirring of desire, that they attained the perfection of sagehood? Perhaps you are covering for them?"
Shan You said: "Your servant is neither kin nor friend to those two, and has received no bribe from them. Why would I cover for them and jeopardize Your Honor's business?"
The magistrate, now satisfied the report was true, was genuinely pleased. He sighed and said: "Who says the men of today cannot match the ancients? If this is truly so, then the Iron young gentleman is a most extraordinary young man of blood and mettle, and Miss Shui is a most extraordinary young woman of moral learning. Had I the authority, I should publicly commend and honor them both."
He pardoned Shan You's offenses and dismissed him.
Then the magistrate reflected privately: "To speak of official conduct — the words 'power' and 'profit' are indeed unavoidable. But when one encounters such paragons of virtue and chivalry, one ought not to treat them like ordinary folk. Miss Shui is the daughter of a Vice-Minister, and Tie Zhongyu the son of a Censor-in-Chief. How could I have been so muddled as to try to harm them? If they are truly angered and the Governor is persuaded to submit a memorial, it will be too late to seek Master Guo's intercession."
He thought further: "I am a jinshi who entered through the imperial examinations — my reputation is not insignificant. I ought to do some good, so that people will speak well of me. If I merely drift with the current, am I not ruining myself?"
And again: "Miss Shui, behind my back, valued my jinshi degree and hoped I would reform. How is it that I do not value it myself? That I do not reform?"
And again: "If I am to reform, I must begin with those two. The Iron young gentleman, with his heroic breadth and gallant spirit — who but Miss Shui could be a fitting match for him? And Miss Shui, with her brilliant mind and luminous character, like a phoenix among women — who but the Iron young gentleman could be her equal? Why not change my tune entirely and help bring the two together? Not only would this cover my past misdeeds, it would count as a true act of righteousness during my tenure as magistrate."
Just as he had settled on this plan, Young Master Guo came to inquire. The magistrate related Shan You's report in full, then counseled him: "This Miss Shui — do not make the mistake of thinking her an ordinary girl of the boudoir. In my judgment, her mind and her actions mark her as a great hero possessed of wisdom. She would never stoop to a casual match. I advise you to abandon this notion and look elsewhere."
Young Master Guo, hearing that Tie Zhongyu and Miss Shui had conducted themselves with perfect propriety, and seeing the magistrate's firm refusal, knew at last that his cause was utterly hopeless. He stood stunned for a long while, then took his leave.
When the magistrate saw that Young Master Guo had gone, he quietly sent someone to ascertain whether the Iron young gentleman had left or was still there, and to determine the precise date of his departure. He had a plan of his own. And it was this plan that was to prove:
The more you grind it, the harder it becomes; The more you dye it, the cleaner it shines.
To learn what happened next, read on in the following chapter.
TRANSLATOR'S NOTES:
[1] Liu Xiahui: A paragon of male chastity from the Spring and Autumn period, famous for holding a freezing woman in his lap all night without the slightest improper thought.
[2] Lord Guan's bright candle: An allusion to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. When Guan Yu was entrusted with the care of Liu Bei's two wives, he kept a candle burning all through the night outside their chamber to demonstrate his propriety.
[3] "The one who knows me is Bao Zi": An allusion to the legendary friendship between Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya, where Bao Shuya understood Guan Zhong's true worth when no one else did.