Hongniang returned to Yingying’s room. Though she now knew about the secret appointment, she didn’t make any mention of it, and rather made a close obser vation of her young mistress. She noticed that Yingying was dressed different than normal, though she acted the same as always. But Hongniang knew that once evening came and they went into the garden, Yingying wouldn’t be able to conceal her intentions any longer.
Hongniang noticed that it was geting dark. “Time to go into the garden and burn incense, my sister,” she told Yingying, who merely nodded and said nothing as she followed her into the garden.
The moon-lit garden was deadly silent. A soft breeze carried the fragrance of fresh flowers and new grass.
Yingying turned to Hongniang and said, “It’s such a nice evening, if you don’t mind I’d like to enjoy it by myself for a short while. Why don’t you go back to our room first?”
Feigning ignorance, Hongniang withdrew to the side gate and opened it. W hen Zhang Sheng saw a dimly-lit figure at the gate, he took it as Yingying’s cue and stepped forward, wrapping her in his arms.
Hongniang was furious, “You silly fool! Take a good look – what if Madame had opened the gate and not me?”
Zhang Sheng apologized profusely, “My sincerest apologies! Please forgive my rashness. But where is the young lady?”
“She’s by the pond over in the garden. But let me clarify, did she really make an appointment with you tonight?”
“Of course – it’s right there in the poem. I couldn’t have misinterpreted it.”
“Don’t go through the gate then, or else everyone will know that I let you in. She wanted you to climb over the wall, so climb you must. It’s a clear night and I think the gods may be on your side.”
With surprising dexterity, Zhang Sheng scrambled up and over the wall. Once in the garden, he immediately embraced Yingying before she knew what had happened.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“It’s me, Zhang Sheng.”
This sudden move had caught Yingying off guard. She didn’t know what to make of it; after all, she was from a noble family, and though she had some feelings for Zhang Sheng, she couldn’t condone this reckless expression of physical affection.
Ashamed and angry, she turned on him and growled “Zhang Sheng! Who on earth do you think you are? I’m here to make an incense offering, and how dare you trespass over the wall? What is it that you’re after? What if my mother learned of this?”
Zhang Sheng’s enthusiasm deflated immediately – he hadn’t in the least expected such a reaction from Yingying. He told himself that it was her who had asked him to scale the wall and meet her in the garden, yet now she was acting all surprised. One look at her cold, moon-lit expression both repelled him and struck him with awe. He simply stood there stupefied, unable to mutter a word in response.
Worried about how things would develop, Hongniang hadn’t strayed far. Suddenly, she heard Yingying cry out, “Hongniang, help! There’s a thief in the garden!”
She stepped forward and asked in a surprised voice, “Who’s there?”
“It’s me, Zhang Sheng.”
“And whatever are you doing here?” she asked in feigned amazement.
“Take him to Madame! She’ll teach him proper etiquette in dealing with a lady!”
Now Hongniang was confused too. She thought that Zhang Sheng must have misunderstood the poem’s meaning , so she started with a new plan.
“You want to admit to meeting Scholar Zhang in the garden this late at night? Imagine the consequences for your reputation! Not to say what Madame will think of this gentleman. We should do the trial and sentencing ourselves. Scholar Zhang, come here and kneel down!”
Zhang Sheng complied immediately.
“You have read so many books written by the ancient sages, yet you still don’t know how to behave. Why are you here at such an hour? You’re well educated and ought to be sensible – it’s unbelievable that you could be so carried away by your passions! Are you aware of what you’ve done?”
“I’m not…”
“Now you’re really testing my patience. You broke into the garden late at night, in clear defiance of basic etiquette. Scholars can’t act like this – you’re supposed to pursue a distinguished and illustrious career, are you not? Yet you’ve turned yourself into nothing more than a sneaky “deflowering thief ”, a lady killer. How can you pretend not to know your crime?”
Both embarrassed and indignant, the normally eloquent Zhang Sheng was reduced to wordlessness. He only wished that the earth would fracture beneath him and swallow him whole.
Seeing his pitiful demeanor, Hongniang now turned to Yingying, “Please Miss, forgive this man, for my sake.”
Yingying said, “If it weren’t for Hongniang, I would definitely send you to Madame for disciplining. Then you wouldn’t even be able to face your own family and friends. Stand up. We are thankful for your rescue of us and shall make it up to you – but we are sworn siblings, how can you think otherwise? What if my mother knew of this? You shouldn’t do such foolish things. If I find you getting up to this again, I won’t let you off so easily.”
Zhang thought to himself that it was she who asked him to come over, how did it turn out like this, with him taking all the blame? But he didn’t dare speak out what was on his mind, and only swore that he wouldn’t make such a mistake again.
Yingying scolded him a bit more and began to walk away. Before Hongniang joined, Yingying rubbed her cheek with one of her fingers, making a traditional Chinese gesture of shaming someone.
“Aren’t you ashamed,” she asked Zhang Sheng.
Zhang Sheng couldn’t fathom how it all turned out like this. He was completely humiliated after Yingying’s ridicule. Ashamed and angry, he immediately felt his health worsening once he returned to his room.
