The Plum in the Golden Vase

For the Far East Plot Oracle
The Plum in the Golden Vase: [main]

1,[Jin Ping Mei].
 * main

1,[Female Name] got up early in the morning and waited at [Male Name]’s door. By noon she had lost hope, but as she turned to go home, she saw him come out of a brothel, drunk and stumbling. The old woman stepped forward and blocked his way, then she told him [Female Name] was looking for him. He smiled and said: “She must be angry with me. I will go see her immediately.” She was overjoyed when she finally saw him again. She felt as if a treasure had dropped from heaven in front of her. She hastened to prepare him some wine and a meal, then gave him a birthday gift. All this pleased him, and he stayed in her house that night 1,[Female Name] helped [Male Name] to stand. She saw that he was pale and spitting blood, so she called [Female Name] to come out to give him a bowl of water, help him revive, and then take him home. The next day, she left him alone at home, dressed herself up as usual and went to [Female Name]’s house to see [Male Name]. Her husband, lying helpless in his bed, was enraged 1,[Female Name] returned to her room. She pretended to weep and said to [Male Name]: “I was confused and deceived by [Male Name], and I am sorry he injured you. Today, I have bought you some medicine. The doctor said if you drink it at midnight and cover yourself well, you will sweat and get well tomorrow.” Her husband was glad and said: “Very good. Wake me at midnight, fix the medicine for me and I will drink it” 1,[Female Name] said nothing but went to [Female Name] and told her and [Male Name] all [Male Name] had said. He shivered with fear and said: “[Male Name] is a very formidable man, but I am not willing to part with my woman. What will we do?” 1,[Female Name] said: “As the saying goes: Your parents take care of the first marriage, you take care of the second. What is there to be afraid of? The mourning period is almost over. I advise you, [Female Name] to invite some monks to your house on the hundredth day of [ChineseMaleFirst]’s death to hold a Buddhist ceremony, then burn his memorial tablet. After that, this man should take you to his home in a sedan chair, and everything will be done. What do you think of that?” [Male Name] said: “That will do.” and they agreed on the plan. The monks would hold the Buddhist ceremony and burn the memorial tablet on August 6, the “hundredth day” of her husband’s death, and she would be married to him and brought to his home in the morning on August 8 1,[Female Name] said: “This is a good plan, but I am afraid that my hands may lack the strength to do what should be done.” [Female Name] said: “Don’t worry. Knock on the wooden partition, and I will come over to help you.” [Male Name] said: “Be careful. I will come back tomorrow to find out what happened.” and he went home 1,[Female Name] was sent back to [Female Name] to wait for another marriage. Soon, [Male Name] was released from prison, and he returned to avenge [ChineseMaleFirst]’s murder. He killed the two women, scooped their hearts out and offered them as sacrifice to his brother in heaven. Thus, his revenge was accomplished. [Male Name]’s wealth and power amounted to nothing in the end but death and destruction 1,[Female Name] would slip out from her back door and go to Wang P’o’s house every day to meet [Male Name]. Within half a month, everyone knew about their affair except [Male Name] 1,[Male Name] first wife had died early, leaving only one daughter. His second wife [Female Name] was a virtuous and tolerant woman, so he had found two concubines, [Female Name] and [Female Name] 1,[Male Name] invited [Male Name] to his house and told him he had moved to [County] county after the death of his first wife and now earned his living by peddling cakes, and had married a second wife, [Female Name]. Then he asked his wife to come meet his brother. His wife had been the concubine of a rich man. After the rich man died, she was driven out of the house by his wife, and later she remarried. In her heart, she detested her husband because he was simple-minded and ugly. Now, his handsome brother fascinated her, and she tried her best to please him 1,[Male Name] returned to [County] county in mid-August. He reported to the [Administrator], then went to his brother’s house. He knocked on the door for a long time, yet no one answered. As he was about to look for a neighbour, [Female Name] came up to him and said: “Your brother has died and your sister-in-law has married someone else and gone away.” The man was stunned by the news. He turned and went into the street, bought some joss sticks, candles, paper money, fruit and cakes for the dead, then returned to his brother’s house. He set up a memorial tablet for [ChineseMaleFirst]. Then he knelt before the tablet, and wept, and thought and thought until midnight. He was sure there was something strange about his brother’s death 1,[Male Name] set about wooing [Female Name]. Meanwhile, his daughter was about to be married, and so Hsi-men was too occupied to think of [Female Name]. His marriage to his new wife and the marriage of his daughter kept him busy for more than a month. His concubine waited for him day and night, yet there was no sight of him. She gave [Female Name] some money and begged her to look for him 1,[Male Name] struggled with her but [Female Name] jumped onto the bed and sat on him. She pressed down on him with all her strength and would not let go. He panted for a few minutes, gave out one loud terrible scream, then moved no more 1,[Male Name] was so taken with [Female Name], he could think of nothing else that night. He thought to himself: “What a pretty woman! How shall I get her? That old woman [Female Name] who sells tea lives next door to her. I will talk to her tomorrow about this and see if she can help me. It will be worth it even if I must pay her.” Early the next morning, he went to old woman’s tea house and from her learned everything she knew about the girl. He promised to pay her and asked her to be the go-between. The woman, an old hand in this kind of dirty bargain, who would do anything for money, agreed 1,[Male Name] went to the door and opened it suddenly, saying: “Come now, you!” [Male Name] tried to grasp him, but the strong man kicked him hard in the pit of his stomach and he fell to the ground. He seized this opportunity to run as fast as his feet could carry him. [Male Name] let [Female Name] go and also ran away. All the neighbours knew the man was rich and powerful, and no one dared to intervene 1,After [Male Name] left, [Male Name] did as what his brother had told him. He went out late and returned home early, and locked his door as soon as he reached home. In the beginning, [Female Name] complained, but eventually she complied with his wishes. She drew up the bamboo curtain outside the window and closed the door when she thought it was about time for him to come home, and he was content and happy 1,After [Male Name] married [Female Name], he had six wives, all of whom fought and scrambled for his favour. [Female Name] stirred up trouble spreading rumors and plotting with [ChineseFemaleName], and would not let the household have a moment of peace. One year later, [Female Name] gave birth to a son and became his favorite wife. This made [Female Name] terribly jealous, and she decided to kill the baby. She began to keep a big cat which terrified the baby so that he got ill and soon died. The Mother cried day and night and couldn’t eat and sleep. She couldn’t bear the other wife’s slanderous gossip, and soon she also fell ill and died 1,After five days, [Male Name] was still in bed and getting worse. He said to [Female Name]: “You went so far as to incite the man to kick me. It doesn’t matter if I die, but my brother won’t forgive you. If you save my life, when he returns I shall tell him nothing; otherwise, you will have to answer to him!” 1,After that day, [Male Name] dwelled at his brother’s house. More than a month passed. One day, the wind was blowing fiercely and it was snowing hard. He returned home at noontime. [Female Name] had already prepared a meal and was waiting for him. After drinking a few glasses of wine, she began to tease him. At first, he tried to ignore her. Yet, to his surprise, she became ever more flirtatious and even asked him to drink the wine she had left in her glass. He flew into a rage. He seized the glass from her hand, poured all the wine on the ground and said: “Sister, where is your sense of shame?” Her face reddened, and she walked into the kitchen embarrassed. He packed his belongings and went to dwell in the government office. He knew that his sister-in-law was not a virtuous woman. When [Male Name] returned that night, he found that his brother had left and asked his wife why. She did not answer but instead scolded him, so he dared say no more 1,At that time, an [Administrator] named [Male Name] was dismissed from office in the capital. [Male Name], who was connected with the officer, was afraid that his family would be involved in the trouble, so he told his son [Male Name] and his wife, [Male Name]’s daughter, go to live at his friend’s house. Ch’en was also a lascivious man, and soon he began sleeping with [Female Name] and [Female Name] 1,During the reign of Emperor [Male Name] in the [Dynasty] Dynasty, in the [County] county of [Province] Province, a wealthy young man called [Male Name] included among his possessions a herbal medicine shop. He was shrewd, cunning, and so powerful that he had the local authorities, and even important officers in the capital under his control. Therefore, everybody in the county feared him and called him a Lord. He disliked learning, but loved to practice martial arts. He associated with a gang of idlers who called themselves [Gang Name] and loitered about all day, visiting brothels, gambling and drinking 1,Early the next morning, [Male Name] came over and [Female Name] told him everything. She then called for [Female Name]: “Now there is only one important thing left. [Male Name], the autopsy officer, is a conscientious man. He will refuse to nail the coffin if he sees any evidence of foul play.” The man said: “It doesn’t matter. I will give him instructions. He wouldn’t dare to disobey me.” Then, he gave the two women money to buy a coffin and arrange for the burial 1,Early the next morning, [Male Name] went to visit the neighbours. They would tell him nothing because they were afraid of [Male Name], but a few good-hearted people told him to ask [ChineseMaleFirst] and He Chiu. Erh-ke told Wu Sung the whole story of how [Female Name] and Hsi-men Ch’ing had cuckolded Ta-lang, and how Ta-lang had been injured by Hsi-men Ch’ing and eventually died. After [Male Name] heard all this, he hired someone to write a complaint and went to the county court to protest. The magistrate read the complaint, listened to Erh-ke’s testimony, then withdrew to consider the situation 1,However, the two apprentices asked: “Master, why is his face so sallow? There are teeth marks on his lips, and blood at the corner of his mouth.” [Male Name] replied: “Don’t talk nonsense. The weather is hot. These phenomena are natural.” He then ordered them to put [Male Name]’s body into the coffin and nail the cover. After the coffin was nailed, [Female Name] gave the apprentices some money, then dismissed them. The officer asked when the funeral would be. The old woman said: “There is no man in the house at present,” and then [Female Name] said: “It will be on the day after tomorrow. The corpse will be haunted outside of the town!” The officer said goodbye and left 1,In the bedroom, [Female Name] and [Male Name] heard her shout. They had no time to play tricks, so she quickly ran to the door and pressed herself against it, and he hid himself under the bed. [Male Name] couldn’t push the door open, so he shouted: “You shameless creatures!” Still pressing against the door, she shouted at her lover, “You boasted about your martial arts, but now even a paper tiger has you cowering under the bed.” She hoped to shame him into fighting her husband. He crept out from under the bed and said: “It’s not that I am scared; it’s just that I don’t know what to do” 1,In the crowded street, they saw a group of hunters with red-tasselled spears marching two by two. Behind them was the dead tiger, looking like a big sack made of coloured cloth, so heavy that even four men were barely able to carry it. Last came a seven-foot, bright-eyed warrior riding on a big white horse. [Male Name] said to himself: “This man must have the strength to lift a thousand pounds!” [ChineseMaleFirst] told him: “The warrior who killed the tiger is called [Male Name], a native of [County] county. He was looking for his elder brother, and when he passed through [Place], he killed the tiger.” While they were talking, they saw the man step down from his horse. He lifted the tiger and went straight into the county government office to see the [Administrator] 1,Madame [ChineseFemaleFirst]’s husband was [Male Name], the nephew of an influential eunuch. When the eunuch died, his property went to her husband. The man and [Male Name] were sworn brothers. His wife, [Female Name], and his friend had long been making eyes at each other, and he often found reasons to visit the family. The next day, knowing that her husband was out, the man went to visit the madame to thank her for the flowers she had sent. He stayed there for a long time, and finally arranged with her that he would sent his servants to encourage her husband to visit a brothel, then he would climb over the wall to see her 1,Meanwhile, [Male Name] had arrived in [Place]. After he accomplished his mission, he and his attendants set out on their journey home. Rain delayed their journey, so he sent a soldier ahead to report to the county magistrate, and take a letter to his brother [ChineseMaleFirst], telling him the date of his return. After the soldier had reported to the magistrate, he went to look for his lord’s brother. [Female Name] just happened to be sitting at the door. When she heard it was a letter from Wu Sung, she said at once: “He is not in, the family has gone to visit a grave. Give me the letter; I will give it to him when he returns.” The soldier gave it to her and rode away 1,Nearby, there was a fruit seller called [Male Name]. Knowing [Male Name] was in [Female Name]’s house, he went to her door to peddle his fruit. To his astonishment, when he approached the door, the old woman screamed insults at him and hit him hard on the head. Fuming with rage, [Male Name] ran to find [Male Name] and told him all about [Male Name] and [Female Name]. Ta-lang said: “No wonder the woman goes to [Female Name]’s house every day, and her face reddens when I come home. I have been suspecting something is wrong. So, that’s what she is doing!” The two men then agreed to catch the couple in the act the next day 1,One day, [Male Name] was unhappy because [ChineseFemaleFirst] had died. Two of his merrymaking friends [ChineseMaleFirst] and [ChineseMaleFirst] called on him: “Brother, come quickly, there is something extraordinary in the street, let’s go and see. The big tiger from [Place] has been killed barehanded.” He stood at once and followed them to the street 1,One day, as [Male Name] was doing his accounts, Sister [ChineseFemaleFirst], a matchmaker, called on him: “Lord, I have sought you everywhere. I have an excellent match for you, and I am sure you will be satisfied!” He asked what sort of woman she was, and the woman said: “Her name is [Female Name]. She is the widow of a textile merchant and lives outside the town’s south gate. She is pretty and rich. In silver alone, she has over a thousand taels. If you marry her, you will win both the lady and her money!” He was delighted, so they arranged to visit the lady the next day 1,One day, as [Female Name] was drawing up the curtain with a long pole, the pole accidentally dropped out of her hand and hit a man passing by. The man just happened to be [Male Name]. The man intended to protest, but when he turned round, he saw it was a beautiful young woman. She bowed and said: “I have accidentally dropped my pole and hit you. I beg your pardon.” He bowed back and said: “Never mind, I am unhurt” 1,Seeing that his complaint would not be taken seriously by the [Administrator], [Male Name] determined to risk his own life to fight [Male Name], but in his haste, he killed [Male Name], the man who had brought the news to his enemy, instead of he himself. As a result, the man was sent far away to the prison in [Place]. His adversary was pleased to hear that the man was on his way to prison. He ordered his servants to prepare his garden for a celebration, then brought his five wives together to drink and make merry. In the midst of the merrymaking, a boy and a slave girl were ushered in. They had been sent by his neighbour, Madame [ChineseFemaleFirst], and had brought the ladies flowers to wear. The evil man was pleased. He told his wife [Female Name] to accept the gift, gave the boy and the slave girl a tip and sent them home, saying he would soon visit their mistress to thank her 1,Soon [Male Name] came with his two apprentices and [Female Name] received them. He Chiu asked: “What disease took [Male Name]’s life?” [Male Name] answered: “My husband had a heart condition. Now he has died and left me alone in misery!” The autopsy officer approached the bier. He removed the quilt and the piece of white silk that covered the corpse. Scrutinizing it, he saw that the fingernails were blue, the lips purple, the face sallow and the eyes protruding. He was certain that the man had been poisoned, but he had been ordered to keep silent, so he said nothing 1,Taking the letter with her, [Female Name] went to see [Female Name]. She and [Male Name] were still in bed though it was already noon time. When they heard [Male Name] had sent a letter to his brother and was coming back soon, they got up immediately. They invited the old woman to enter the room and sit down. She took out the letter to read. In the letter, the brother said he was sure he would be back before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and he told his brother to take good care of himself. The news threw the couple into a panic 1,That day, [Male Name] pretended to go out to sell cakes as usual, and hid himself at the streetcorner. Seeing [Male Name] had entered [Female Name]’s house, he went to her door to start a fight with the old woman. As the quarrel got fiercer and fiercer, he pressed her against the wall so she couldn’t move. Then, [Male Name] dashed towards the old woman’s bedroom. Unable to stop him, she shouted: “Your husband is coming!” 1,The [Administrator] was delighted. He awarded [Male Name] money and appointed him police officer of the county’s eastern part, in charge of arresting thieves. One day, walking in the street, he heard someone calling him from behind, saying: “So, you have become a police officer. Why don’t you care about me?” Turning round, he beheld his elder brother [ChineseMaleFirst], whom he hadn’t seen for years. His brother was an ugly, short man, so people had nicknamed him “The Three-Inch Dwarf” 1,The [Administrator] went to discuss the matter with his officers. The officers were all connected with [Male Name] and were afraid to bring charges against him. Therefore, the officer called [Male Name] and said to him: “It has been true since ancient times, that to prove adultery, one must catch both parties in the act; and murder can only be proved when the wound is visible. You haven’t caught these two in the act, and your brother’s corpse is gone. How can you lodge an accusation against them?” While the administator was putting the man off, a message was sent to buy off all the involved officers the same night 1,The [Administrator], having been in office for 2 years, had accumulated a large amount of money. He needed a brave and reliable man to take the money to [Place] for him, so he called for [Male Name] and assigned him to carry out this important task. He went straight to [Male Name]’s house and told him he was leaving and would return in one month or at most 3 months. He advised his brother to leave his house late in the morning and return home as early as possible. If anyone bullied him, he shouldn’t fight. They said goodbye 1,The affair between [Male Name] and [Female Name] continued for more than a month. Meanwhile, [Male Name] fell ill after he and his brothers quarrelled about dividing their family property. However, his wife could think only of her lover, and she neglected her husband until finally, he died a sick, angry man. After the husband’s death, the two became more intimate with each other. She moved her property bit-by-bit into his home, and in the end, she married him and was brought to his house in a sedan chair. Through this marriage, he made a fortune, including a hundred imported pearls and countless pieces of gold and silver. In addition, her house was connected to his 1,The next day, [Female Name] invited [Female Name] to her house for dinner, pretending that she needed her to do some sewing. [Male Name] had invented a reason to visit the old woman, and he joined them for a glass of wine 1,The next evening, [Male Name] visited [Female Name] briefly, then went into the garden to wait for [ChineseFemaleLast]’s signal. He climbed over the wall and down a ladder placed on the other side, thinking no one had seen him, but the cunning woman had observed everything. She had been using all her wiles to keep him interested in her and nine nights out of ten, he slept in her room. Now, realizing he was interested in this new woman, she did all she could to win him back. She forced the slave girl [ChineseFemaleFirst] to become his concubine, knowing he had had his eye on the girl 1,The two women dragged [Male Name]’s body downstairs and put it on an old board. There, they combed his hair, put a headdress around his head, dressed him, covered his face with a piece of white silk, then went upstairs and cleaned the bedroom. After [Female Name] left, [Female Name] sat next to his body and stayed there all night, weeping loudly 1,Time passed quickly, and soon it was August 8. Everything was done as planned. [Female Name], in a bright-coloured dress, was carried to [Male Name]’s house in a sedan chair. The neighbours all knew what was happening, but in fear of the man, no one dared speak up. He brought her to his house. He prepared 3 rooms in the garden for her to live in, and ordered his wife’s chambermaid to wait on her. He already had one wife and three concubines, so she became his fifth woman 1,Two days later, [Male Name]’s coffin was carried out of the town. [Female Name], dressed in mourning, followed in a sedan chair, crying false tears all the way. Some of the neighbours came to see the coffin off. At the crematorium, they made a fire to burn the coffin, and soon everything was burnt 1,Upon [Male Name]’s death, the illicit relations between [Female Name], [Female Name] and [Male Name] were brought to light. His wife sold the slave girl for 13 taels of silver and wouldn’t let her take anything, not even a single dress, when she was sent away 1,Wang continued: “As the dwarf is very ill, we can pretend to fix some liquid medicine for him. Put the arsenic in it and [Male Name] will be poisoned to death. Then burn his body and when [Male Name] comes home, he’ll be unable to do anything about it. Then, you can take [Female Name] home, and make her your wife. What do you think?”
 * Jin Ping Mei

1,[ChineseFemaleFirst] [ChineseFemaleLast]
 * Female Name

1,[Far East Plot Oracle.ChineseFemaleFirst]
 * ChineseFemaleFirst

1,[Far East Plot Oracle.ChineseFemaleLast]
 * ChineseFemaleLast

1,[Far East Plot Oracle.Male Name]
 * Male Name

1,[Far East Plot Oracle.ChineseMaleFirst]
 * ChineseMaleFirst

1,[Far East Plot Oracle.ChineseMaleLast]
 * ChineseMaleLast

1,[Far East Plot Oracle.Administrator]
 * Administrator

1,[Far East Plot Oracle.Gang Name]
 * Gang Name

1,[Far East Plot Oracle.Dynasty]
 * Dynasty

1,[Far East Plot Oracle.Place]
 * Place

1,[Far East Plot Oracle.County]
 * County

1,[Far East Plot Oracle.District]
 * District

1,[Far East Plot Oracle.City]
 * City

1,[Far East Plot Oracle.Province]
 * Province