The General Du won an unparalleled victory. Zhang Sheng, the abbot and Madame Cui came to express their gratitude. The general bowed to the old lady and apologized that the initial negligence of his troops had led to her being forced into such a predicament by the bandits. Zhang Sheng related to Du Que his story since arriving at the temple: how he had fallen in love with Yingying at first sight, rented a room to stay near her, and finally how he had been promised her hand in marriage for finding a way to repel the bandits. Thanks to the general, everyone was safe once again and Zhang Sheng could marry the love of his life.
Du Que was well aware of Zhang Sheng’s worthiness as a husband for the late Prime Minister’s daughter and felt sincere happiness for his friend’s newfound joy.
“An auspicious event such as this calls for a great celebration!” he said.
“Prepare a feast in honor of the General Du and his bravery!” Madame Cui ordered her servants.
“Thank you, Madame. Yingying is a well-born and virtuous girl from noble blood. Zhang Sheng is a gifted gentleman scholar w hose plan succeeded in repelling the bandits. I sincerely hope that you will honor your public promise to give him your daughter’s hand in marriage. I would love to remain and celebrate such a happy occasion with all of you, but my soldiers await me. I shall return later to bestow my congratulations upon the happy newlyweds.”
And with that, the general rode off to lead his troops back to Puguan Pass.
Madame Cui expressed her deep gratitude to Zhang Sheng and asked him to move into the study in the western chamber, then invited him to a dinner to be held in his honor the next day.
Hearing this, Zhang Sheng’s heart jumped and he could hardly contain his excitement. He barely slept a wink all night.
The next morning he put on a brand-new set of clothes he had been saving, and waited in anxious anticipation, each minute seeming to drag into hours and each hour lasting days. He made infinite adjustments to his clothing, checking again and again to make sure everything appeared its best. Finally, Madame Cui sent Hongniang to invite the young scholar for dinner.
When she entered the room and they exchanged greetings, he pretended that he hadn’t been expecting her by asking.
“May I kindly ask what brings you to my quarters?”
“Madame Cui has prepared a dinner for you and asks if you would honor her with your presence. Do please go.”
“Of course, of course, I will go. And will Ying ying be attending?”
“The dinner is in recognition of you and your deliverance of us all from certain calamity. There will be no other guests, not even the abbot. Madame wishes to arrange for the marriage between you and Miss Yingying.”
Zhang Sheng was beside himself with joy and began to talk incoherently.
“Thank the gods! Thank the gods!” he kept repeating to himself.
Then, turning to Hongniang, he said, “I don’t have a mirror with me. How do I look?”
“You look great! Dressed like a true bridegroom. That outfit is so gleaming I can barely keep my eyes open. Flies would slip off a robe so polished and lustrous like yours.”
“I never dreamed that a sheer coincidental meeting with Yingying could actually end in marriage! I can now honestly say that marriages such as this are predestined by fate.”
“Yes, husband and wife are brought together by destiny – nothing can stop fate.” Hongniang replied.
“But I am just a wandering scholar and have no great dowry for the lady. What shall I do?”
“Miss Cui loves you, not your dowry. Everyone can clearly see how educated and knowledgeable you are. Your bravery saved the Cui family and everyone in the temple. This is the finest dowry Miss Cui could ever hope for. I have already prepared the bridal bed, draped with curtains finely embroidered with two mandarin ducks[A metaphor for an affectionate couple] . Don’t you worry about the dowry. All you need to do is to show up.”
Hearing this, Zhang Sheng could not help but smile to himself.
“Please go first. I’ll be there in a moment after I tidy up my room,” he told her.
Upon arriving at the dinner, Zhang Sheng bowed deeply to Madame Cui.
“If not for your heroic action, my family would all have perished at the hands of those horrific bandits. This dinner may be meager, but know that it represents our profound gratitude,” she told him.
“It was the good luck you brought to the temple that allowed us to defeat the bandits, dear Madame. Of course, we must thank General Du and his brave troops. Without them, no one in the temple would have survived. Now that these troubles have passed, please let us forget they ever happened,” he replied.
Madame ordered her servant to fill Zhang Sheng’s cup with wine. Zhang Sheng held up his cup, toasted Madame Cui, and emptied it. Then he refilled it, toasted again to her good health, and again downed the whole cup. Madame Cui merely sipped at her cup and then asked Hongniang to bring Yingying in to dinner.
