贾雨村授了应天府，一到任就有件人命官司详至案下。他门子告诉他：“如今凡作地方官的都有一个私单，上面写的是本省最有权势极富贵的大乡绅名姓，各省皆然；倘若不知，一时触犯了这样的人家，不但官爵，只怕连性命也难保呢！所以叫做‘护官符’。”雨村从他门子那里得到一份手抄的“护官符”，并问他这官司如何剖断才好？门子笑道：“小的听见老爷补升此任，系贾府王府之力；此凶犯薛蟠即贾府之亲：老爷何不顺水行舟，做个人情，将此案了结，日后也好去见贾王二公。”雨村低了头，半日说道：“依你怎么着？”
门子道：“小人已想了个很好的主意在此：老爷明日坐堂，只管虚张声势，动文书，发签拿人——凶犯自然是拿不来的，原告固是不依，只用将薛家族人及奴仆人等拿几个来拷问，小的在暗中调停，令他们报个‘暴病身亡’，合族中及地方上共递一张保呈，老爷只说善能扶乩请仙，堂上设了乩坛，令军民人等只管来看，老爷便说：‘乩仙批了，死者冯渊与薛蟠原系夙孽，今狭路相遇，原因了结。今薛蟠已得了无名之病，被冯渊的魂魄追索而死。其祸皆由拐子而起，除将拐子按法处治外，余不累及……’等语。小人暗中嘱咐拐子，令其实招；众人见乩仙批语与拐子相符，自然不疑了。薛家有的是钱，老爷断一千也可，五百也可，与冯家作烧埋之费；那冯家也无甚要紧的人，不过为的是钱，有了银子，也就无话了。”二人计议已定。贾雨村便徇情枉法，胡乱判断了此案，冯家得了许多烧埋银子，也就无甚话说了。雨村便疾忙修书二封与贾政并京营节度使王子腾，不过说“令甥之事已完，不必过虑”
之言寄去。此事皆由葫芦庙内沙弥新门子所为，雨村又恐他对人说出当日贫贱时事来，因此心中大不乐意；后来到底寻了他一个不是，远远的充发了才罢。由此可见，贾雨村不仅是巴结权贵，徇私枉法，而且利欲熏心，奸诈狡猾。
No sooner had Jia Yucun taken up his post as prefect of Yingtian than a charge of murder was broughtto his court. His attendant told him：“All local officials nowadays keep a secret list of the most powerful，wealthy and high-ranking families in their province. Each province has such a list. Because if unknowinglyyou offend one of these families， you may lose not only your post but your life as well. That’s why it’s calleda Protective Charm.”Yucun got a hand-written copy of the Officials’ Protective Charm from his attendantand asked him，“what’s the best way to settle this case ？”His attendant said with a smile：“I heard thatyour appointment was due to the good offices of the Jias and Wangs， and this murderer Xue Pan is relatedto the Jias by marriage. So why not sail with the stream and do them a good turn， settling this case in such away that you can face them in future ？”Yuncun lowered his head. After a long silence he asked：“Whatdo you suggest？”“I’ve thought of a good plan，”said the attendant.“When Your Honour tries the casetomorrow， make a great show of sending out writs and issuing warrants. Of course the murderer won’t beforthcoming and the plaintiff will press his case； then you can arrest some of Xue’s clansmen and servants forinterrogation. Behind the scenes I’ll fix things so that they report Xue Pan’s‘death by sudden illness，’andwe’ll get his clan and the local authorities to testify to this. Then Your Honour can claim to be able to consultspirits through the planchette. Have one set up in the court and invite both military and civilians to come andwatch. You can say： The spirit declares that Xue Pan and Feng Yuan were enemies in a former existencewho were fated to clash in order to settle scores； that， hounded by Feng Yuan’s ghost， Xue Pan has perishedof some mysterious disease； that since this trouble was caused by the man who kidnapped the girl with such-and-such a name， he must be dealt with according to the law， but no one else is involved... and so on and soforth. I’ll see to it that the kidnapper makes a full confession， and when the spirit’s message confirms this，people will be convinced. The Xues are rolling in money. You can make them pay a thousand or five hundredtaels for Feng Yuan’s funeral expenses. His relatives are insignificant people， and all they’re out for is money.
So the silver will shut their mouths.”Their consultation lasted late into the afternoon. So Yucun twistedthe law to suit his own purpose and passed arbitrary judgment. The Fengs received a large sum for funeralexpenses and made no further objections. Once the case was settled Yuncun lost no time in writing to JiaZheng and Wang Ziteng， Commander-in-Chief of the Metropolitan Garrison， to inform them that the chargeagainst their worthy nephew was dropped and they need not worry about it any longer. All this was due to theattendant who had been a novice in Gourd Temple， but Yucun， dismayed by the thought that this man mightdisclose certain facts about the days when he was poor and humble， later found some fault with him and hadhim exiled to a distant region. Hence one can see that Jia Yucun is not only obsequious to the great， floutingthe law for private considerations， but also reckless with greed， very treacherous and deceitful.
贾雨村媚上欺下，滥用职权。如贾赦不知在那个地方看见几把旧扇子，回家来，看家里所有收着的这些好扇子，都不中用了，立刻叫人各处搜求。恰巧石头呆子有二十把旧扇子，全是各种珍奇的竹子做成的，皆是古人写画真迹。但石呆子宁死不卖。谁知那雨村没天理的听见了，便设法子，讹他拖欠官银，拿他到了衙门里去，说：“所欠官银，变卖家产赔补。”把这扇子抄了来，做了官价，送到了贾府。
Jia Yucun fawns upon his superiors and insults his inferiors. He abuses his power and position as well.
For instance， Jia She happened to see a few old fans somewhere， which made him so dissatisfied with allhis best fans at home that he sent men out at once to search for better ones. The Stone Idiot had twenty oldfans as it happened， all made of rare varieties of bamboo and the calligraphy and paintings on them were bygenuine old masters. But the Stone Idiot would sooner die than sell them. Then that black-hearted scoundrelJia Yucun heard about it and hatched a scheme. He had the Idiot taken to his yamen on a charge of owingthe government some money， and ordered the default to be made good by the sale of his property. So the fanswere seized， paid for at the official price and brought to the Jia’s mansion.
贾雨村总是忘恩负义。常见他在贾府来往，是贾府提拔起来的。现升了京兆府尹，兼管税务。前儿御史虽参了贾府，皇帝令他查明实迹再办。他本沾过两府的好处，怕人说他回护一家儿，他倒狠狠地踢了一脚，所以两府里才到底抄了。此外，他初任之时，胡乱判案，他大恩人甄士隐之可怜女儿甄英莲受到了连累，他竟包庇了凶犯薛蟠。他恩将仇报，是多么的阴险毒辣啊！
Jia Yucun is always ungrateful and acts contrary to justice. He is often seen calling on the Jias Mansions.
He owes his promotion to the Jia family. He has now been promoted to be prefect of the capital in charge oftaxation. After the censors impeached the Jias the Emperor ordered him to investigate before any decisionwas made. Because he’d been helped by both mansions， for fear of being accused of shielding the Jias he gavethem a vicious kick —that’s why they were raided. In addition， at the start of his official career he passedarbitrary judgement in which poor Zhen Yinglian， his benefactor Zhen Shiyin’s daughter， was involved andXue Pan， the criminal， was protected. He returns kindness with hatred. How sinister and ruthless he is！
这位雨村老爷，人也能干，也会钻营，由知府推升转了御史，不过几年，升了吏部侍郎，兵部尚书。为着一件事降了三级。如今又升了。他官也不小了，只是贪财。被人参了个“婪索属员”的几款。旨意便叫拿问。他被枷锁解到三法司衙门里审问，审明定了罪。正是：
“昨怜破袄寒，今嫌紫蟒长”，“因嫌纱帽小，致使枷锁扛”。
This Jia Yucun is an able gentleman and clever climber， getting himself promoted from the post ofa prefect to that of a censor and then， in another few years， becoming Vice-minister of Civil Affairs andMinister of War. After that， for some reason， he was demoted three ranks. Now he’s climbed up the officialladder again. He holds quite a high post but is too grasping； so several charges of extorting money from hissubordinates have been brought against him. The Emperor therefore issued a decree for his arrest and trial.
He was chained and taken to court for trial. He has been found guilty of embezzlement and condemned topunishment.Truly：
“In ragged coat one shivered yesterday，Today a purple robe he frowns upon”.
“Resentment at a low official rank，May lead to fetters and a felon’s shame.”
今遇大赦，雨村递籍为民，叫家眷先行，自己带了一个小厮，一车行李，来到急流津觉迷渡口，只见一个道者，从那渡头草棚里出来，执手相迎。雨村认得是甄士隐，也连忙打恭。士隐道：“今日复得相逢，也是一桩奇事！这里离草庵不远，暂请膝谈，未知可否？”
雨村欣然领命。雨村便请教仙长超尘始末，士隐笑道：“一念之间，尘凡顿易。”雨村听着，却不明白，又问道：“敝族闺秀，如此之多，何元妃以下，算来结局俱属平常呢？”士隐叹道：“贵族之女，俱属从情天孽海而来。大凡古今女子，那‘淫’字固不可犯，只这‘情’字，也是沾染不得的！但凡情思缠绵，那结局就不可问了！”雨村听到这里，不觉拈须长叹。因又问道：“请向仙翁：那荣宁两府，尚可如前否？”士隐道：“福善祸淫，古今定理。”雨村还要问自己的终身，士隐便道：“老先生草庵暂歇。我还有一段俗缘未了，正当今日完结。”说着，拂袖而起。雨村心里恍恍惚惚，就在这急流津觉迷渡口草庵中睡着了。
Yucun was pardoned under the general amnesty， but ordered back to his native place and reducedto the status of a common citizen. Having sent his family home first， he was making his way there with abaggage-cart and a page when， by the Ford of Awakening in the Stream of Rapid Reversal， he saw a Taoistpriest emerge from a thatched shed to greet him. Recognizing his old friend Zhen Shiyin， he promptlyreturned the greeting.“How amazing that we should meet again today！”said Shiyin.“My humble templeis not far from here. Would you care to come for a chat？”Yucun agreed willingly. Asked how he had cometo renounce the world， Shiyin said with a smile，“It’s easily done， with the speed of thought.”Yucun wasmystified and asked again，“There are many ladies in our humble clan； how is it that apart from the ImperialConsort all the others came to such undistinguished ends？”“All noble ladies come from the realm of loveand retribution.”explained Shiyin.“From time immemorial， carnal desire has been their cardinal sin， andthey must not even immerse themselves in love. Anyone ensnared by love can come to no good end！”Yucunabsently stroked his beard and sighed. He ventured again.“Will the Rong and Ning Mansions be restored totheir former prosperity？”“It’s an immutable law that the good are favoured by fortune while the dissolutemeet with calamity.”Shiyin forestalled further questions about Yucun’s own future by urying him to have arest in his temple.“I still have some worldly affairs to settle and must attend to them today，”he explained.
With a flick of his sleeve he rose. Yucun， left dazed， fell asleep in this thatched temple by the Ford ofAwakening in the Stream of Rapid Reversal.
1. 5 复习讨论题
1.5 Questions for Revision and Discussion
（1）曹雪芹为什么要写《红楼梦》？他是如何写《红楼梦》的？
（1）Why did Cao Xueqin write A Dream of Red Mansions？ How did he write A Dream of RedMansions？
（2）曹雪芹写作《红楼梦》时中使用了哪些主要的写作技巧？他是如何运用对比手法的？
（2）What main writing techniques has Cao Xueqin made use of in writing A Dream of RedMansions？How has he made use of a striking contrast？
（3）你对曹雪芹的人生有什么感悟？你打算如何度过自己的人生？（或：论曹雪芹的人生）（3）What do you think of Cao Xueqin’s life？ How are you going to spend your life？ (Or： OnCao Xueqin’s Life)（4）《红楼梦》的艺术成就表现在哪些方面？什么确定了《红楼梦》是人类文化财富宝库中的一颗真正的宝玉？（或：《红楼梦》的艺术成就探讨。）（4）What artistic achievements are displayed in A Dream of Red Mansions？ What haveestablished the novel A Dream of Red Mansions as a true jewel in the store of mankind’s cultural wealth？
(Or： Studies on the Artistic Achievements of A Dream of Red Mansions.)（5）你认为贾母的人生如何？为什么她能福寿双全？
（5）How do you think of the Lady Dowager’s life？ Why could she enjoy both felicity andlongevity？
（6）你认为贾政的人生如何？为什么他一生过得平安和平庸？
（6）How do you think of Jia Zheng’s life？ Why could he have a life of peace and mediocrity？
（7）你对贾宝玉的人生有何感悟？你从他的人生中吸取到哪些经验？哪些教训？为什么贾宝玉对科举没兴趣？科举制度与现行的高考制度有什么区别？你认为应如何改革现行的考试制度？
（7）What do you think of Jia Baoyu’s life？ What experiences will you use for reference？ Whatlessons will you draw from his life？ Why was Jia Baoyu not interested in the Imperial examinations？
What differences are there between the Imperial Examination System and the present College EntranceExamination System？ How do you think the present examination system should be reformed？
（8）既然黛玉与宝玉的爱情是建立在两情相悦、两心相知的基础之上的自由纯洁的爱情，不讲门第，不计利害，为什么终竟变成了令人心碎的悲剧？黛玉有些什么性格特点？你对黛玉的人生有何感悟？（或：黛玉与宝玉的爱情探讨。）
（8）Since the love between Daiyu and Baoyu is based on their mutual love and understandingand is a free and pure love without any concern for family status and interests， why is it finally turnedinto a heart-breaking tragedy？ What are Daiyu’s characteristics？ What do you think of Daiyu’s life？ (Or：A Discussion on the Love Between Daiyu and Baoyu.)
（9）宝钗的性格特点是什么？宝钗和黛玉，你更喜欢哪一个？为什么？
（9）What are Baochai’s characteristics？ Baochai and Daiyu， whom do you prefer？ Why？
（10）湘云的天性是什么？湘云和黛玉都是孤儿，她们的人生态度和性格特点有些什么不同？湘云、宝钗、黛玉，你最喜欢哪一个？为什么？
（10）What’s Xiangyun’s nature？ Both Xiangyun and Daiyu are orphans， what are the differencesbetween their attitudes towards their lives and their characteristics？ Xiangyun， Baochai and Daiyu， whomdo you like best？ Why？
（11）妙玉的性格特点是什么？为什么她会走火入魔？妙玉与宝玉、黛玉，名中都有“玉”字，他们间有无共同的其他东西？如果有，那是什么？
（11）What are Miaoyu’s characteristics？ Why do evil thoughts cross her mind and kindle a hothumour？ There is the same Chinese character“yu”in the names of Miaoyu， Baoyu and Daiyu， isn’tthere anything else in common among them？ If there is， what is it？
（12）妙玉、黛玉和湘云都是孤儿，却有不同的人生，为什么？
（12）Miaoyu， Daiyu and Xiangyun are all orphans but they have different lives. Why？
（13）你认为王熙凤的人生如何？她向我们提了些什么经验教训值得注意？（或：漫谈王熙凤的人生。）
（13）How do you think of Wang Xifeng’s life？ What experiences and lessons may she afford usworthy of our attention？ (Or： Some Thoughts on Wang Xifeng’s Life.)
（14）你认为李纨的人生如何？李纨与王熙凤的性格特征间有些什么鲜明的对照？
（14）How do you think of Li Wan’s life？ What striking contrasts are there between Li Wan’s andWang Xifeng’s characteristics？
（15）你对秦可卿的人生有何感悟？贾元春的呢？出身比教养更重要吗？为什么？（或：浅析秦可卿的人生；对贾元春人生的反思。）
（15）What do you think of Qin Keqing’s life？ What about Jia Yuanchun’s？ Is one’s birthmore important than one’s breeding？ Why？ (Or： An Analysis of Qin Keqing’s Life， Reflections on JiaYuanchun’s Life.)
（16）迎春的性格特点是什么？她为什么那么年轻就死了？为什么说孙绍祖是个中山狼？从迎春的人生中你能得到什么教训？
（16）What are Yingchun’s characteristics？ Why did she die so young？ Why is it said that SunShaozu is a mountain wolf？ What lessons can you get from Yingchun’s life？
（17）你喜欢焦大吗？为什么？为什么他的忠心终成悲剧？
（17）Do you like Jiao Da？ Why？Why has his loyalty finally turned into a tragedy？
（18）你对薛蟠的人生如何看？你认为如何使一个家（或国家）昌盛？（或：论持续发展。）
（18）How do you think of Xue Pan’s life？ How do you think to make a family (or a country)prosperous？ (Or： On Sustainable Development.)
（19）为什么说香菱是“金陵十二钗副册”中最为薄命的，也是大观园女子中受压迫、受欺凌、受侮辱的代表？你认为香菱的人生如何？你向香菱学点什么？
（19）Why is it said that Xiangling is the most unfortunate girl of the Second Register of TwelveBeauties of Jinling and also the representative of those girls and maids who are oppressed， bullied andhumiliated in the Grand View Garden？ How do you think of Xiangling’s life？ What would you like tolearn from Xiangling？
（20）你喜欢刘姥姥吗？为什么？刘姥姥的性格特点是什么？为什么她90多岁还去拜访贾府？（或：对刘姥姥的人生之我见。）（20）Do you like Granny Liu？ Why？ What are Granny Liu’s characteristics？ Why does she visitthe Jia Mansions when she’s over ninety？ (Or： Random Thoughts on Granny Liu’s Life.)
（21）巧姐如何逃脱险遭被骗卖的？你对巧姐的婚姻怎么看？你对在农村生活和工作怎么看？
（21）How can Qiaojie narrowly escape being cheated and sold？ How do you think of Qiaojie’smarriage？ How do you think of living and working in the countryside？
（22）你从甄士隐的人生中有何感悟？贾雨村的呢？你更喜欢哪一个的人生？为什么？
（22）What do you think of Zhen Shiyin’s life？ What about Jia Yucun’s？ Whose life do youprefer？ Why？
（23）你愿意出身在什么家庭？为什么？
（23）What family do you prefer being born of？ Why？