take me to meet her?”
The maid giggled and led Monkey to meet Lady Green Pearl. Green Pearl looked shocked. With tears in her eyes she said to Monkey, “Beautiful Lady Yü, 7 I haven't seen you for so long! But why is your fair face so sad?”
Monkey was surprised to hear this and thought, “Since I was born from a stone egg, I've never been reincarnated by way of any parents, and I've never chased the mists and flowers. When did I know this Lady Green Pearl? Since when am I Beautiful Lady Mud, Beautiful Lady Copper, Beautiful Lady Iron, or Beautiful Lady Grass? But that's what she calls me. Well, what do I care if I'm Beautiful Lady Yü or not? I'll play the role for a little while—it should be amusing. This is called meeting one error with another.
“Just one thing—since I've become Beautiful Lady Yü, I must have a husband somewhere. If she asks about him and my answer turns out to be a case of ‘a horse's jaw not matching an ass's head,’ it'll show my true colors. I'll sound her out a bit and find out about my ‘husband,’ then I can join in the banquet.”
Green Pearl called again, “Beautiful Lady! Quick, have a seat! Although what's in the cup is weak, it will chase away your gloom.”
Monkey put on a long face and said to Green Pearl, “Sister, people say wine cheers the joyful heart, but my husband and I can't see each other. The silken strands of rain and gusts of wind have long pierced and broken my heart. How can I swallow wine?”
Green Pearl started and said, “But my dear lady, what are you saying? Your husband is Hsiang Yü, Hegemon of Ch'u. You live together—why can't you see each other?”
Catching the five words “Hsiang Yü, Hegemon of Ch'u,” Monkey answered off the top of his head, “Sister, you don't know that the Hegemon of Ch'u of today is not the same man as before. There is a concubine named Sorrow of Ch'u who uses her many charms to entice my husband and separate the two of us.
“Once we were walking in the moonlight and, when I didn't look at the water weeds in the pond, she purposely leaned on the railing as if lost in thought. My husband said, ‘The way she gazes is so lovely.’
“Another time we were looking at flowers and I didn't call for wine. She went to her room and got a pot with a cracked ice design containing Purple Flower Jade Dew wine. She offered it and said, ‘Long life to my gracious lord,’ and just as she left, she winked at him seductively. My husband saw her off with a twinkle in his eye. I have nothing but love for him—my only wish is that we could always be a pair of mandarin ducks. When I saw those two putting me on a closet shelf, how could I be anything but sad and resentful?
“Then my husband complained that I didn't pay any attention to him and, what's more, that Sorrow of Ch'u had been trying hard to please. He took his sword and scabbard from under the bed, and slung them across his back. He didn't even call for any of his men but just left looking straight ahead. I don't know where he went. That was twenty days ago—more than half a month and not a word from him.” And Monkey began to wail.
When Green Pearl saw this, her tears soaked half her silken sleeve. Hsi-shih and Miss Silk sighed together. Even the maids carrying the wine pots felt tears fill their throats and sympathetic pains in their hearts. It's a fact that a sad person shouldn't talk to other sad people—if they do, they only become sadder.
The four of them sat down and Hsi-shih said, “Our Beautiful Lady isn't happy tonight and we three should try to cheer her up. We mustn't add to her sadness.” So saying, she produced six dice and held them in her hands. She called out, “Sisters of this banquet, hear my command! If the first throw doesn't show a one, each of us will chant a line of old-style verse. If the second throw doesn't throw a two, we must all confess our sexual fancies. If the third throw doesn't
The maid giggled and led Monkey to meet Lady Green Pearl. Green Pearl looked shocked. With tears in her eyes she said to Monkey, “Beautiful Lady Yü, 7 I haven't seen you for so long! But why is your fair face so sad?”
Monkey was surprised to hear this and thought, “Since I was born from a stone egg, I've never been reincarnated by way of any parents, and I've never chased the mists and flowers. When did I know this Lady Green Pearl? Since when am I Beautiful Lady Mud, Beautiful Lady Copper, Beautiful Lady Iron, or Beautiful Lady Grass? But that's what she calls me. Well, what do I care if I'm Beautiful Lady Yü or not? I'll play the role for a little while—it should be amusing. This is called meeting one error with another.
“Just one thing—since I've become Beautiful Lady Yü, I must have a husband somewhere. If she asks about him and my answer turns out to be a case of ‘a horse's jaw not matching an ass's head,’ it'll show my true colors. I'll sound her out a bit and find out about my ‘husband,’ then I can join in the banquet.”
Green Pearl called again, “Beautiful Lady! Quick, have a seat! Although what's in the cup is weak, it will chase away your gloom.”
Monkey put on a long face and said to Green Pearl, “Sister, people say wine cheers the joyful heart, but my husband and I can't see each other. The silken strands of rain and gusts of wind have long pierced and broken my heart. How can I swallow wine?”
Green Pearl started and said, “But my dear lady, what are you saying? Your husband is Hsiang Yü, Hegemon of Ch'u. You live together—why can't you see each other?”
Catching the five words “Hsiang Yü, Hegemon of Ch'u,” Monkey answered off the top of his head, “Sister, you don't know that the Hegemon of Ch'u of today is not the same man as before. There is a concubine named Sorrow of Ch'u who uses her many charms to entice my husband and separate the two of us.
“Once we were walking in the moonlight and, when I didn't look at the water weeds in the pond, she purposely leaned on the railing as if lost in thought. My husband said, ‘The way she gazes is so lovely.’
“Another time we were looking at flowers and I didn't call for wine. She went to her room and got a pot with a cracked ice design containing Purple Flower Jade Dew wine. She offered it and said, ‘Long life to my gracious lord,’ and just as she left, she winked at him seductively. My husband saw her off with a twinkle in his eye. I have nothing but love for him—my only wish is that we could always be a pair of mandarin ducks. When I saw those two putting me on a closet shelf, how could I be anything but sad and resentful?
“Then my husband complained that I didn't pay any attention to him and, what's more, that Sorrow of Ch'u had been trying hard to please. He took his sword and scabbard from under the bed, and slung them across his back. He didn't even call for any of his men but just left looking straight ahead. I don't know where he went. That was twenty days ago—more than half a month and not a word from him.” And Monkey began to wail.
When Green Pearl saw this, her tears soaked half her silken sleeve. Hsi-shih and Miss Silk sighed together. Even the maids carrying the wine pots felt tears fill their throats and sympathetic pains in their hearts. It's a fact that a sad person shouldn't talk to other sad people—if they do, they only become sadder.
The four of them sat down and Hsi-shih said, “Our Beautiful Lady isn't happy tonight and we three should try to cheer her up. We mustn't add to her sadness.” So saying, she produced six dice and held them in her hands. She called out, “Sisters of this banquet, hear my command! If the first throw doesn't show a one, each of us will chant a line of old-style verse. If the second throw doesn't throw a two, we must all confess our sexual fancies. If the third throw doesn't
Similar Books
