尤三姐·鴛鴦劍濺血證清白Yousanjie · Blood Splashed from the Mandarin Duck Swords to Prove Her Innocence Yousanjie · Blood Splashed from the Mandarin Duck Swords to Prove Her Innocence尤三姐·鴛鴦劍濺血證清白

中篇小說（103）Novella (103)

寶玉的情啟蒙老師秦可卿，被公公賈珍性侵，為了掩蓋賈珍醜聞，維護公公的名譽，她被上吊死了。寶玉喜歡的丫鬟，因為一句玩笑話，被母親王夫人罵為娼婦，逐出榮府，名聲壞了，自知前途全無，跳井死了，然而始作俑者的寶玉，卻毫髮無傷，全身而退。那個美貌如花的尤三姐，為了向自己真愛的心上人，自證清白，竟然拔劍自刎，更讓寶玉膽戰心驚。而導致尤三姐，非得以死證明清白的，卻也是由於寶玉的一句無心之語，這令寶玉痛苦，深感自責。這是怎麼了？光鮮亮麗，如花似錦的賈家榮府，裡面花一樣的少女，竟然一個個的，上吊的，投井的，自刎的，一個個悲慘死去，能不讓人膽戰心驚，心驚肉跳嗎？如果說金釧兒之死，讓寶玉明白，世上的人，原來真會因一句話、一場羞辱，就被逼上絕路；那麼尤三姐之死，則讓他知道，原來有這樣的女子，不惜用生命證明自己清白。活得那樣烈，死得那樣狠。為了明白紅樓夢中，尤三姐自刎證清白一事的來龍去脈，有必要先花一點時間，把寶玉，賈珍，尤三姐這些人物之間的關係；理理清楚。在賈府，寶玉和賈珍是同一個輩分上的人，賈寶玉的父親賈政，和賈珍的父親賈敬是堂兄弟。賈寶玉年幼，是榮國府的公子，而賈珍年長，已經是寧國府的掌門人，大家長。所以寶玉雖然年幼，仍然比賈珍的兒子賈蓉，高一個輩分，是賈蓉的叔叔輩。那麼尤三姐是什麼人？為何進入寧國府，那就要從賈珍的填房夫人尤氏說起。在《红楼梦》中，賈珍的夫人尤氏，與尤二姐，尤三姐，是名義上的繼姐妹關係，尤氏是父親與原配夫人所生，後來母親病逝，父親再娶尤老娘做填房。結果父親後來也去世，尤老娘就再嫁他人，才生下了尤二姐，尤三姐。所以尤氏，雖然表面上和尤二姐，尤三姐為繼姐妹，但是和她們卻沒有任何血緣關係。賈珍父親賈敬，把家族大事交給兒子賈珍管理，一個人在城外的玄真觀修道。他熱衷於燒丹煉汞，一心想成仙。結果因誤服秘法煉製的丹砂，導致腹中堅硬如鐵、面皮嘴唇燒裂而亡。贾敬突然去世，贾珍和贾蓉父子二人，正在宫中随驾，为老太妃送靈伴驾。只能由賈珍的夫人尤氏，先行将公公靈柩送往城外贾府家庙鐵欄寺停放，开喪破孝，先做起道场来，等待贾珍賈蓉父子回來。尤氏因此不能回家，家中無人照看，便将继母尤老娘接来在寧府看家，女兒尤二姐，尤三姐也和母亲尤老娘一起，来到寧國府。你道寧國府掌門人賈珍，和他的獨生子賈蓉何許人也？這父子二人，生來就是依仗祖宗功業祖蔭庇護，不務正業之人。父子二人整天在外拈花惹草，荒淫無度。不但如此，這父子二人，還有同一個奇怪癖好，就是違反人倫的共享女人，被曹雪芹稱為「聚麀之誚」。麀，指母鹿。古人認為有些獸類父子共用一隻母獸，曹雪芹以此譏諷賈珍、賈蓉父子兩人共用妻妾的敗壞行徑。前面提到的賈蓉妻子秦可卿，被公公賈珍性侵，被迫上吊身亡，就是這父子二人聚麀之誚獸行的一例。尤三姐母女三人本來就貧困潦倒，生活無依，只能依靠已經嫁入寧國府，終於熬上當正室的姐姐，尤氏接濟，那麼這次進了寧國府，雖然是幫助看家，就更是寄人籬下，完全依賴賈珍父子生存。跟隨母親進入寧國府寄居的尤二姐和尤三姐，偏偏又是天生麗質，容貌出群的一對璧人。她們隨母親進入寧國府，處於對賈珍，賈蓉父子的依附地位，經濟上完全依靠賈珍父子，因此不被賈珍、賈蓉父子覬覦與欺侮，那倒是怪事。賈珍填房夫人尤氏，和尤二姐，尤三姐並非同父，亦非一母所生，因此沒有任何血緣關係，她們之間也無法有真正親情。因此尤氏在處理家族事務時，對尤二姐，尤三姐在寧國府的遭遇，被賈珍，賈蓉欺辱玩弄之事，也就並不上心，睜一隻眼，閉一隻眼，裝著看不到，抱持即無奈、又無法庇護的態度。這就讓賈珍，賈蓉父子更加無法無天，對尤二姐，尤三姐二人的欺辱戲耍，無所不用其極。尤二姐和尤三姐雖然都是天生麗質的美人坯子，但性格卻完全不同。尤二姐美貌如花，卻性格軟弱溫順，在賈珍父子的淫威下，早早就被拿下。尤三姐美貌尤在姐姐之上，性格卻與姐姐完全不同。她不像姐姐那樣軟弱可欺，更不像大觀園裡那些溫柔安靜的小姐。卻像火，像刀，像一枝帶刺的紅玫瑰。她生得風流標致，性情卻潑辣爽利，說話行事從不扭捏。面對賈珍，賈蓉父子的覬覦與欺侮，她心知肚明。雖然無法直接抵抗，卻用嬉笑怒罵無常的辦法，令他們看得見，摸不著，無法得手。為了明瞭尤三姐的真實為人，還是要看曹雪芹的原著才能更好地理解她。在曹雪芹的筆下，尤三姐为反抗贾珍、賈蓉父子，以及賈璉的轻薄，故意以“放浪形骸”的姿态，反客为主，将这对风月场中惯于寻花问柳的父子，兄弟，戏弄得目瞪口呆，撕下了他们虚伪，好色，又色厲內荏的面具。原文中說道，尤三姐一改往日柔顺，故意做出妖娆放荡的姿态来整治他们。她“ 松挽头发，大红袄子半掩半开，露着葱绿抹胸，一痕雪脯。底下绿裤红鞋，一对金莲或翘或并，没半刻斯文。” 她主动斟酒、搂过贾琏的脖子强行灌酒，并娇嗔地说：“我和你哥哥已经吃过了，咱们来親香親香。” 她甚至大聲叫人把尤二姐请来，提議四个人一起“同樂”，直言“俗語說‘便宜不过當家’，他们是弟兄，咱们是姊妹，又不是外人”。尤三姐突如其来的大膽舉動，讓一向風流的贾珍和贾琏嚇得酒醒，反而不敢輕舉妄動，，甚至開始後悔招惹了她。尤三姐借此舉動将二人狠狠奚落一番，痛斥他們仗势欺人、把他們姐妹當成下贱粉頭来玩弄，令这弟兄二人“全然無一點別識別見，不過是酒色二字。” 賈珍和贾琏，對尤三姐以攻為守的反应，展现了他們色厉内荏的本質。当尤三姐主動投懷送抱、强行摟抱灌酒时，唬的贾琏酒都醒了。面對尤三姐大胆泼辣与言辭锋芒，贾珍和贾琏发现她竟是这等無耻老辣，见討不到半点便宜，反被拿捏住把柄與氣势，只好作罷，再也不敢有非分之想。雖然尤三姐以進為退，保持自身清白，但是因為她入住的寧國府，淫亂不堪名聲在外。她身居在寧國府那種烏煙瘴氣的地方，外面的人，都認為即便她，自己想守身如玉，也無法不被賈珍之流輕薄，所以都把她當成輕薄女子，因此在世人眼裡，尤三姐不是什麼正經女人。就連一向珍愛，痛惜女孩的寶玉，都把尤二姐，尤三姐視為《尤物》。當尤三姐深愛的柳湘蓮，問寶玉對尤三姐的看法時，寶玉不假思索，就告訴柳湘蓮，尤二姐和尤三姐這對姐妹花，就是一對尤物。寶玉心中的真實想法，他說的一對尤物，並無一點貶意。是指尤二姐，尤三姐，姐妹都是容貌出眾、傾國傾城的古今絕色。在寶玉眼中，尤三姐是超凡脫俗的極品美女。風情與媚態俱存。天生麗質，有強烈的女性魅力、韻味與媚態，寶玉的真正意思是讚美。但是涉世不深的寶玉，卻完全不懂被男人稱為尤物的女人，是輕浮、狐狸精的代名詞，是可以任人玩弄女性的貶義詞。女人被稱為尤物，就是可以被人隨意玩弄的對象，所以絕不會有清白之身。柳湘蓮通過寶玉之口，認定尤三姐不乾淨，要退婚，逼尤三姐以死證實自己清白，就是理所當然的事了。所以寶玉在客觀上，對尤三姐的死，負有不可推卸的責任，這也是讓寶玉痛苦不堪的原因。可真正懂她的人卻知道，尤三姐雖然外表放浪，那不過是她為了保護自己，偽裝的外殼，她骨子裡卻極傲，極烈。她心裡其實只裝著一個人，那就是她深愛的人，柳湘蓮。尤三姐第一次見柳湘蓮，是多年前在家看戲的時候。那時柳湘蓮串演小生，風流俊美，英氣逼人。尤三姐一見之下，整顆心便丟了。從那以後，心裡早已暗暗立誓：此生非柳湘蓮不嫁。曹雪芹寫尤三姐，最厲害之處就在這裡。她明明身在污泥之中，卻能真正出污泥而不染。比許多滿口道德的人，還自愛，還乾淨。她雖混跡名聲狼藉的寧國府，卻從未真正失身。她知道旁人怎麼看她，可她不在乎，因為她瞭解自己，心裡始終替自己真愛的人，留位置，把心完全留給柳湘蓮。後來賈璉做媒，替她向柳湘蓮提親。柳湘蓮原本也是個心高氣傲的人，他漂泊江湖，不愛富貴，只愛瀟灑自在，不想成婚。可聽說是美貌如花的尤三姐，便點頭同意，還拿出祖傳至寶鴛鴦雌雄劍，作為定情之物。尤三姐接過那柄鴛鴦雌雄劍，內心的高興無法形容，整個人幾乎像又活過來一般。她守身如玉，整整等了五年，盼了五年，如今終於等到了。那段日子，她真正像個待嫁少女，不再胡鬧，不再說那些瘋話，甚至還常偷偷對鏡梳妝，因為她終於也能有一個乾乾淨淨的人生。可偏偏，命運最愛捉弄人。柳湘蓮後來回京，偶然遇見寶玉。兩人本就相熟，於是柳湘蓮便向寶玉打聽尤三姐，姐妹之事。他問得很認真，因為他心裡，也開始真正把這門婚事當回事了。可偏偏寶玉，根本不懂那個世界裡，男人對女子名節看得有多重。寶玉平日最討厭那些道學規矩。在他眼裡，女孩兒只要可愛，便是好的。什麼名節、貞烈、三從四德，他本來就不放在心上。其實根本就不懂，因此他隨口便說了一句：「真是一對尤物。」這句話，在寶玉心裡，其實只是誇讚。可落在柳湘蓮耳中，卻完全變了味。再加上他早聽說寧國府，「只有門口那對石獅子乾淨」，一時間疑心大起。他越想越覺得，尤三姐恐怕早已不是清白女子。於是，他決定退婚。這一退，便要了尤三姐的命。那一天，柳湘蓮親自上門退婚索劍。尤三姐在裡屋，已把一切聽得清清楚楚。她原本還滿心歡喜，等著出嫁，可如今，所有希望忽然全部崩塌。她終於明白，無論自己怎樣潔身自愛，只要別人一句流言，她這一生，便永遠洗不乾淨。因為她是女子，因為她活在那樣一個世道。她沒有哭，也沒有辯解。曹雪芹寫到這裡，筆冷得驚人。尤三姐只是慢慢走出來，把那柄雌劍還給柳湘蓮，接著忽然拔出雄劍，當場自刎。血一下濺滿地面。曹雪芹筆下尤三姐以死明志這一段，讓人讀後渾身發冷，筆者全文抄錄於下：「那尤三姐在房明明聽見。好容易等了他來，今忽見反悔，便知他在賈府中得了消息，自然是嫌自己淫奔無恥之流，不屑為妻。今若容他出去和賈璉說退親，料那賈璉必無法可處，自己豈不無趣。一聽賈璉要同他出去，連忙摘下劍來，將一股雌鋒隱在肘內，出來便說：「你們不必出去再議，還你的定禮。」，一面淚如雨下，左手將劍並鞘送與湘蓮，右手回肘只往項上一橫。可憐「揉碎桃花紅滿地，玉山傾倒再難扶」，芳靈蕙性，渺渺冥冥，不知那邊去了。柳湘蓮當場呆住，整個人像被雷擊中。直到這時，他才忽然明白，自己錯了，而且錯得無可挽回。他抱著尤三姐的屍身，幾乎瘋了一般。當下唬得眾人急救不迭。尤老娘一面嚎哭，一面又罵湘蓮。賈璉忙揪住湘蓮，命人捆了送官。尤二姐忙止淚，反勸賈璉：「你太多事，人家並沒威逼他死，是他自尋短見。你便送他到官，又有何益，反覺生事出醜。不如放他去罷，豈不省事。」賈璉此時也沒了主意，便放了手，命湘蓮快去。湘蓮反不動身，泣道：「我並不知是這等剛烈賢妻，可敬，可敬。」。湘蓮扶屍大哭一場。等買了棺木，眼見入殮，又俯棺大哭一場，方告辭而去。後來，他跟著一個瘋道人，出家去了，從此再未回頭。一個年輕鮮活、等了五年純潔愛情的女子，就這樣死在柳湘蓮面前，連一句話都沒有。因為她知道，說什麼都沒用，只有死，才能證明自己。而寶玉知道這件事後，也久久無法平靜。他怎麼也想不明白，自己明明只是隨口一句話，怎麼竟能逼死一個人？他第一次真正發現，原來這世上的話，不是隨便能說的。尤其對女子，尤其在那樣一個世界裡，一句輕薄之語，幾句似是而非的玩笑，便可能變成殺人的刀。而更讓寶玉難受的是，他其實一直最討厭那些封建禮教。可最後，偏偏又是他自己無意中的一句話，把尤三姐推進了那套禮教的絞索裡。尤三姐死後，寶玉很長一段時間，都忘不了那柄劍，那柄帶血的鴛鴦劍。也忘不了那個剛烈女子，那個活著時人人看她輕浮，死後卻比誰都乾淨、比誰都剛烈的女子。從那時起，寶玉心裡對這個世界，又多了一層說不出的厭惡。因為他忽然發現，這世上的道理，有時真是荒唐可笑。那些真正骯髒的男人，活得好好的；而那些真正內心乾淨的女孩，卻死得最慘。（未完待續）

Qin Keqing, Baoyu’s first teacher in love and desire, was sexually violated by her father-in-law Jia Zhen. In order to conceal Jia Zhen’s scandal and protect his reputation, she was forced to hang herself to death. The maid Jinchuan, whom Baoyu cared for deeply, was called a whore by his mother Lady Wang because of a single joking remark. She was driven out of the Rong Mansion, her reputation ruined. Knowing her future was destroyed, she jumped into a well and died. Yet Baoyu, the one who had started everything, emerged completely unharmed. Then there was the beautiful Yousanjie. In order to prove her innocence to the man she truly loved, she drew a sword and slit her own throat. This terrified Baoyu even more deeply. And the reason Yousanjie was forced to prove her purity with death was also because of one careless remark from Baoyu himself. It filled him with agony and unbearable guilt. What had happened to this world? Inside the dazzling Jia family mansion, bright and splendid as blooming flowers, girls as lovely as blossoms were hanging themselves, throwing themselves into wells, cutting their own throats one after another. How could such things not make one tremble with horror? If Jinchuan’s death taught Baoyu that a person really could be driven to destruction by a single sentence or a moment of humiliation, then Yousanjie’s death taught him something even more terrible: that there truly were women in this world willing to use their lives to prove their innocence. She lived fiercely, and she died fiercely. To understand how Yousanjie came to kill herself in order to prove her purity, it is necessary first to sort out the relationships between Baoyu, Jia Zhen, and Yousanjie. Within the Jia family, Baoyu and Jia Zhen belonged to the same generation. Baoyu’s father Jia Zheng and Jia Zhen’s father Jia Jing were cousins. Baoyu was still young, the young master of the Rong Mansion, while Jia Zhen was already the head of the Ning Mansion and the family patriarch. Therefore, although Baoyu was younger, he was still one generation above Jia Zhen’s son Jia Rong, making him Jia Rong’s uncle. So who exactly was Yousanjie, and how did she enter the Ning Mansion? To explain that, one must begin with Lady You, Jia Zhen’s second wife. In Dream of the Red Chamber, Lady You and the sisters You Erjie and Yousanjie were nominally stepsisters. Lady You was born to her father and his first wife. After her mother died, her father remarried Old Lady You as his second wife. Later, her father also died, and Old Lady You remarried another man, giving birth to You Erjie and Yousanjie. Thus, although Lady You appeared to be their stepsister, there was actually no blood relation between them. Jia Jing, Jia Zhen’s father, handed all family affairs over to his son and withdrew to the Xuanzhen Temple outside the city to cultivate immortality through Taoist practices. Obsessed with alchemy and immortality, he consumed cinnabar pills made through secret formulas, until eventually his stomach hardened like iron and his face and lips split and burned apart, leading to his death. When Jia Jing suddenly died, Jia Zhen and Jia Rong were accompanying the imperial procession in the palace, attending the funeral escort of the Senior Dowager Consort. Lady You therefore had to arrange for Jia Jing’s coffin to be temporarily placed at the Jia family temple, Iron Rail Temple, outside the city, beginning the funeral rites and Taoist ceremonies while waiting for Jia Zhen and Jia Rong to return. Because of this, Lady You could not return home. With no one there to look after things, she brought her stepmother Old Lady You into the Ning Mansion, and You Erjie and Yousanjie came with their mother as well. And who exactly were Jia Zhen and his only son Jia Rong, the rulers of the Ning Mansion? This father and son pair were men who relied entirely on ancestral privilege and family power. They were idle, decadent, and utterly without purpose. Day after day they chased women and indulged themselves in debauchery. Worse still, the two shared a particularly disgusting habit: violating morality by sharing the same women. Cao Xueqin described this behavior with the phrase “the disgrace of shared does.” In ancient Chinese, “you” referred to a female deer. Ancient people believed that certain beasts allowed father and son to mate with the same female animal. Cao Xueqin used this phrase to mock the depravity of Jia Zhen and Jia Rong sharing wives and concubines. Qin Keqing, Jia Rong’s wife mentioned earlier, who was sexually violated by her father-in-law Jia Zhen and forced to hang herself, was one example of this beastly behavior. Yousanjie, her sister, and their mother had originally been poor and destitute, without any stable support. They survived only through the charity of Lady You, who had finally secured her position as the official wife in the Ning Mansion. So after entering the Ning Mansion this time, although they came under the excuse of helping watch the household, they were in truth completely dependent on Jia Zhen and Jia Rong for survival. The sisters You Erjie and Yousanjie, who entered the Ning Mansion with their mother, also happened to be exceptionally beautiful women. Since they depended entirely upon Jia Zhen and Jia Rong financially and socially, it would almost have been strange if they had not attracted the lust and harassment of those two men. Lady You herself shared neither the same father nor the same mother with You Erjie and Yousanjie. There was no blood relationship between them and thus no real familial affection. As a result, when handling family affairs, Lady You largely ignored the humiliations and abuse suffered by the two sisters in the Ning Mansion. She pretended not to see what Jia Zhen and Jia Rong were doing to them, adopting an attitude that was both helpless and unwilling to protect them. This only made Jia Zhen and Jia Rong even more lawless in their treatment of the two sisters, using every possible method to harass and toy with them. Although both You Erjie and Yousanjie were breathtakingly beautiful, their personalities were entirely different. You Erjie was lovely but soft and submissive, and she quickly fell under the domination of Jia Zhen and Jia Rong. Yousanjie, however, was even more beautiful than her sister, and her temperament was completely different. She was not weak and easily bullied like her sister, nor was she gentle and quiet like the girls in the Grand View Garden. She was like fire, like a blade, like a thorn-covered red rose. She was seductive in appearance, yet sharp and fearless in temperament. She knew perfectly well how Jia Zhen and Jia Rong lusted after and harassed her. Although she could not openly resist them, she used unpredictable mockery and teasing to keep them always within sight of her beauty yet forever unable to touch her. To truly understand Yousanjie’s character, one must return to Cao Xueqin’s original text. In Cao Xueqin’s writing, Yousanjie deliberately adopted a posture of reckless sensuality in order to resist Jia Zhen, Jia Rong, and Jia Lian’s harassment. Turning the situation upside down, she mocked and humiliated these men, who were accustomed to seducing women everywhere they went, exposing their hypocrisy, lust, and inner cowardice. The original text describes how Yousanjie suddenly abandoned all restraint and intentionally behaved in an alluring and provocative manner to torment them. “Her hair was loosely pinned up. Her red jacket hung half open, revealing a green undergarment and a glimpse of white breast. Below, green trousers and red shoes framed her tiny bound feet, sometimes crossed, sometimes raised, without the slightest trace of modesty.” She personally poured wine, wrapped her arm around Jia Lian’s neck, forced him to drink, and coquettishly said, “I’ve already eaten with your brother. Now let’s enjoy ourselves together.” She even loudly summoned You Erjie to join them, proposing that all four of them “have fun together,” openly saying, “As the saying goes, ‘nothing is more convenient than what belongs to the household.’ They are brothers, we are sisters, and we are not outsiders.” Yousanjie’s sudden boldness shocked the usually womanizing Jia Zhen and Jia Lian sober. Far from daring to take advantage of her, they began regretting ever provoking her. Using these actions, Yousanjie thoroughly humiliated them, condemning the way they used their power to treat her and her sister like cheap prostitutes for amusement. She exposed them as men with “not the slightest depth of thought or understanding, caring for nothing but wine and women.” The reactions of Jia Zhen and Jia Lian revealed their true nature as cowards beneath their arrogance. When Yousanjie openly threw herself at them and forced wine upon them, Jia Lian became so frightened that his drunkenness vanished completely. Faced with Yousanjie’s fierce boldness and razor-sharp words, Jia Zhen and Jia Lian realized she was far too dangerous and cunning to manipulate. Unable to gain the slightest advantage and instead finding themselves trapped by her wit and confidence, they finally backed away and no longer dared entertain improper intentions toward her. Although Yousanjie used aggressive defiance to preserve her own purity, the Ning Mansion itself was infamous for corruption and sexual scandal. Since she lived within such a filthy environment, outsiders assumed that even if she wished to remain chaste, she could not possibly have escaped the advances of men like Jia Zhen. Thus, in the eyes of society, Yousanjie was not considered a respectable woman. Even Baoyu, who always cherished and pitied girls, regarded You Erjie and Yousanjie as “rare temptresses.” When Liu Xianglian, the man Yousanjie deeply loved, asked Baoyu what he thought of her, Baoyu answered without hesitation that the two sisters were “a pair of exceptional beauties.” In Baoyu’s heart, the term carried no insult at all. He simply meant that You Erjie and Yousanjie were stunning beauties of extraordinary charm and elegance, women of unmatched beauty throughout history. To Baoyu, Yousanjie was an almost transcendent beauty, possessing grace, allure, and irresistible feminine charm. In his mind, it was praise. But Baoyu, inexperienced in the ways of the world, completely failed to understand that when men called a woman an “exceptional beauty,” the term often implied something frivolous, seductive, and morally loose. Such women were seen as objects to be played with, not women capable of purity. Thus, after hearing Baoyu’s words, Liu Xianglian concluded that Yousanjie was not clean. His decision to break off the engagement and force her to prove herself through death followed naturally from that assumption. In this sense, Baoyu objectively carried undeniable responsibility for Yousanjie’s death, and this became one of the deepest sources of his torment. Yet those who truly understood her knew that Yousanjie’s outward wildness was merely a disguise she wore to protect herself. In truth, she was proud and fierce to the core. There was only one man in her heart: Liu Xianglian, whom she loved deeply. The first time Yousanjie saw Liu Xianglian was years earlier during a theatrical performance at home. Liu Xianglian played the young male lead, handsome, elegant, and heroic. At first sight, Yousanjie lost her heart completely. From that moment on, she secretly swore to herself that she would marry no man but him. This is where Cao Xueqin’s portrayal of Yousanjie becomes truly extraordinary. Though immersed in mud, she remained unstained by it. She possessed more self-respect and inner purity than many people who constantly preached morality. Though living within the scandalous Ning Mansion, she had never truly surrendered herself. She knew how others viewed her, but she did not care, because she knew herself. In her heart, she had always reserved a place for the man she truly loved, giving all her heart to Liu Xianglian. Later, Jia Lian acted as matchmaker and proposed marriage between her and Liu Xianglian. Liu Xianglian himself was proud and free-spirited, wandering the world unconcerned with wealth or status. He had never wished to marry. But when he heard it was the beautiful Yousanjie, he agreed and even presented his family heirloom, the Mandarin Duck Swords, as a token of betrothal. When Yousanjie accepted the paired swords, her joy was beyond words. It was as if she had come alive again. She had guarded her purity and waited faithfully for five long years. At last, she thought, her waiting was over. During that time, she truly became like a young bride-to-be, no longer speaking recklessly or behaving wildly. She would even secretly sit before her mirror arranging her hair and makeup, because she finally believed she might be able to live a clean and honest life. But fate has a cruel habit of playing tricks on people. After Liu Xianglian returned to the capital, he happened to meet Baoyu. Since they already knew each other well, Liu Xianglian asked him seriously about the You sisters. By now, he had truly begun to take the marriage seriously. But Baoyu completely failed to understand how heavily a woman’s chastity weighed in that world. Baoyu had always hated rigid moral doctrines. In his eyes, as long as a girl was lovable, that was enough. Chastity, virtue, obedience — such ideas meant nothing to him. So casually, without thinking, he said, “They truly are a pair of exceptional beauties.” To Baoyu, it was praise. But to Liu Xianglian, the words sounded entirely different. Combined with all the rumors he had already heard about the Ning Mansion — that “only the stone lions outside its gates were clean” — suspicion immediately took root. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that Yousanjie could not possibly still be pure. So he decided to break the engagement. And that decision cost Yousanjie her life. That day, Liu Xianglian personally came to return the engagement and reclaim the swords. From inside her room, Yousanjie heard every word clearly. She had been full of happiness, waiting to marry him. But now, all hope suddenly collapsed before her eyes. She finally understood that no matter how carefully she guarded herself, a single rumor from others would stain her forever. Because she was a woman. Because she lived in such a world. She did not cry, nor did she argue. Cao Xueqin’s brush becomes terrifyingly cold here. Yousanjie simply walked out slowly, returned the female sword to Liu Xianglian, then suddenly drew the male sword and slit her throat on the spot. Blood splashed across the ground. The scene in which Yousanjie dies to prove her honor leaves readers chilled to the bone. The full original passage is quoted below: “Yousanjie heard everything clearly from inside the room. After waiting so long for him to come, she now suddenly learned he regretted the engagement. She knew he must have heard rumors in the Jia household and now despised her as an immoral woman unworthy of becoming his wife. If he were allowed to go out and discuss breaking the engagement with Jia Lian, Jia Lian would surely have no way to resolve the matter, and she herself would become a complete joke. The moment she heard Jia Lian preparing to leave with him, she quickly removed the sword, hiding one blade beneath her arm. Then she walked out and said, ‘There is no need to discuss anything further outside. Here is your betrothal gift returned.’ Tears streamed down her face as she handed the sheathed female sword to Xianglian with her left hand, while her right arm suddenly swept across her throat. Alas, ‘Peach blossoms shattered, red covering the ground; the jade mountain collapsed, never to rise again.’ Her fragrant spirit and noble soul drifted away into the darkness beyond.” “At once everyone panicked and rushed forward in confusion. Old Lady You wailed loudly while cursing Xianglian. Jia Lian grabbed Liu Xianglian and ordered servants to tie him up and send him to the authorities. You Erjie quickly wiped away her tears and persuaded Jia Lian, saying, ‘You are making too much trouble. No one forced her to die; she chose death herself. Even if you send him to the authorities, what good would it do? It will only create more scandal. Better to let him go and avoid further trouble.’ Jia Lian, now completely at a loss, released Xianglian and told him to leave quickly. Yet Xianglian did not move. Weeping, he said, ‘I never knew she was such a pure and fierce woman. Admirable, truly admirable.’ He threw himself over her body and wept bitterly. After buying a coffin and watching her burial, he leaned over the coffin and cried once more before finally departing.” A young woman, vibrant and alive, who had waited five years for a pure love, died there before Liu Xianglian without saying another word. Because she knew there was nothing left to say. Only death could prove her innocence. Liu Xianglian stood frozen, struck as if by lightning. Only then did he realize how terribly wrong he had been, and that the mistake could never be undone. Holding Yousanjie’s body, he nearly went mad. Later, he buried her with his own hands. Still later, he followed a wandering mad Taoist and became a monk, never returning again. When Baoyu learned what had happened, he too could not calm himself for a very long time. No matter how hard he tried, he could not understand how a single casual sentence from him could force someone to death. For the first time, he truly realized that words are not spoken without consequence. Especially toward women, especially in a world like that one, a frivolous remark or a few careless jokes could become knives that killed. And what tormented Baoyu even more was this: he had always hated the rigid morality of feudal society. Yet in the end, it was his own careless words that pushed Yousanjie into the noose of that very morality. For a long time after Yousanjie’s death, Baoyu could not forget that sword, that bloodstained pair of Mandarin Duck Swords. Nor could he forget that fierce young woman, the woman whom everyone considered frivolous while she lived, yet who proved cleaner and fiercer in death than anyone else. From that moment on, Baoyu’s disgust toward the world deepened even further. Because he suddenly realized that the logic of this world was sometimes absurd beyond belief. The truly filthy men continued living perfectly well, while the girls who were truly pure inside died the most tragic deaths. （ To be continued )