Zhang Sheng arrived at the capital and for six months all he did was preparing for the exam. He had been so busy studying that he’d neglected writing Yingying letters as she had asked him to. His hard work paid off eventually when he won the first place and became the top scholar of the year. He missed Yingying terribly and wanted to return to her immediately and share the good news. However, he had to stay in the capital and wait for the emperor to offer him an official position. Finally he wrote her a letter and gave it to his pageboy, telling him to bring it to the temple as fast as possible.
Meanwhile, Yingying had been miserable for the last six months, and not hearing from Zhang made it exponentially worse. She had become so depressed that she stopped caring about dressing nicely and lost a great deal of weight.
The pageboy finally arrived at the temple with the letter from Zhang. He was taken to Madame Cui in the front hall and reported the good news of Zhang’s success on the examination. He then went to see Yingying in the back hall. When Hongniang saw the boy she inquired about Zhang immediately. He told her the same thing he had told Madame Cui that Zhang had won the first place and would soon be appointed a high rank. He told her that Zhang had sent him to the temple to deliver the good news to Miss Cui.
Hongniang nearly skipped into Yingying’s bedroom. “Sister, great news! Zhang Sheng is to be offered a government position soon!”
“Don’t tease me, if you want to cheer me up,” Yingying warned.
“I’m not! The pageboy is outside. He’s already reported everything to Madame and now he has come here to give you a letter from your husband.”
“Send him in!” Yingying yelled happily.
The boy gave her Zhang’s letter, which she read and then reread, not wanting to miss anything. For the first time since his departure she felt relieved. Now she could wait until he received his promotion and then they would marry.
She asked Hongniang to make the pageboy some food, and while they waited she wrote a reply letter to Zhang. She also went about preparing him a care package with some new clothes, a Chinese lute, jade hairpin and a brush. Finally, she gave the pageboy ten silver taels to cover his expenses on the way back.
“Zhang is a government official now and should have had this stuff already, right?” Hongniang asked.
“Not so. Everything here has a special meaning attached to it.”
“Really? What do they mean? Please enlighten me.”
“The undershirt is worn against his skin, representing the love between us; the scarf is so that he won’t forget me; the socks tell him to choose his path carefully; the lute is to remind him of the time we chanted poems and played musical instrument together under the moonlight; the jade hairpin is for him to keep in mind his wife when he puts on an official hat and the writing brush is made of bamboo, w ith each speckle standing for a teardrop to let him know that I’ve been thinking of him every day.” Hongniang nodded in agreement. Yingying then turned to the pageboy. “Can you remember all these words?” He nodded.
“Thank you. Take good care of everything and when you give them to Master Zhang, tell him what each means so that he’ll know I do care.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“And I took special care folding the clothes so don’t use this pack as pillow. If you get caught in the rain, don’t wring them out.
I don’t want them wrinkled.”
“Of course.”
The pageboy soon went on his way. When he returned to the capital he gave Zhang the letter and package from Yingying. Zhang marveled at the letter.
“Her hand writing can match up to that of the great calligraphers now and in the past. Her literary talent is rarely seen in this world.” He unwrapped each present from her, guessing the meaning of each before the pageboy could tell him. He praised Yingying’s excellent needlework and tenderness. “What else did she say?”
“The young mistress asked me to tell you not to start a new love affair.”
“My bride,” he said to himself with a shake of his head. “You just don’t know what I’m thinking.”
He asked the boy to pack up as they were leaving for Hezhong Prefecture, where he would be reunited with Yingying. The two men began to prepare for their departure when Zheng Heng , Madame Cui’s nephew whom Yingying was originally betrothed to, arrived at the Temple of Universal Salvation.
When Zheng Heng received Madame Cui’s letter he had not been able to leave for the temple immediately. Later he heard that Sun Feihu had besieged the temple, and was intending to do whatever it took to get Yingying to be his wife, even if it meant kidnapping and forcing her. He knew that Zhang brought in a troop of men and rescued the people of the temple; and that finally Madame Cui promised to betroth Yingying to him. It was that last piece of information that made Zheng realize he could not wait any longer.
He arrived at the temple but dared not see his aunt, so he stayed in a small inn nearby. In secret he tracked down Hongniang and invited her to his place, intending to find out information about Yingying before taking action.
“Why have you not visited your aunt?” Hongniang asked him upon her arrival.
“Yingying was originally betrothed to me,” he answered. “My aunt knew about this arrangement. If my uncle hadn’t died I would be married to Yingying. Now that her mourning has ended, I’m here to plan our wedding. After that I will accompany my aunt and Yingying to bury my uncle in Bolin. Hongniang, I need your help with this. Tell my plan to your lady. When it’s done, I will reward you.”
Hongniang didn’t like Zheng and was angry with him for his secretive arrival.
“Master Zheng,” she replied, “You might as well save all that for yourself. Madame Cui has already married the young lady to Master Zhang Sheng.”
“Surely you are familiar with the old proverb: ‘You can’t put two saddles on one horse.’ Yingying’s father promised her to me, how can her mother change things around? This doesn’t make any sense.
