The story goes that Minister Meng welcomed the two heirs of the Huangfu and Liu families, greeted each other in the hallway, and then sat to have a chat. Minister Meng first went to the garden. His son Jialing then came accompanying the two.
Accompanied by the one from Hanlin Academy and going into the backyard
The heirs of the two families competed to be the first
Having not stepped into the garden
Already they are approached by delicate fragrance
Kuibi and Shaohua raised their heads to
The scenery in the garden was indeed extraordinary
Alongside the winding path the fragrant grass grew
On the meandering fence the jade tiles lay
Layer upon layer the rockery surrounded the beautiful trees
Tier upon tier the old trees blended with the cloudy haze
Strand by strand, the willow branches danced with the breeze
Petal by petal, the peach blossoms descended onto the water
Lightly in the waves the algae floated
Delicately on the wall the moss dotted
Gracefully the butterflies danced across flowers
Twittering [1] the orioles sang in their ears
Covertly in a secluded balcony the shadows of the bamboo swayed
Quietly in the courtyard the beaded curtain hung
Fine spring dew covered the tender flower buds
Chilly spring wind brushed across the turquoise water
They could not get enough of the endless wonderful scenery
It was truly—a riot of colors under the bright day
The two heirs wandered with each other’s company
Appreciating the distinguished garden and the novel scenery
Let’s not talk about how the two came inside
But instead turn to what Lady Han saw from the tower
The lady was sitting behind the beaded curtain
Hearing a voice she looked downwards
The beautiful fair lady Su Yingxue
Leaning on the handrail—her eyes sparkled and looked carefully
She saw from afar Jialing advancing
Following him there were two young men
First, she looked at the son of the Liu’s on the left
He indeed has an extraordinary bearing
Just look at him—so majestic-looking at the age of sixteen blossoming
Wearing full-length armor with an incomparably superior appearance
His scaled armor directly reflected the red sun
His long python robe was brocaded with resplendent clouds
With fair skin and rosy lips, he was truly handsome
With graceful eyebrows and bright eyes, he was clearly spirited
A stoic personality and an extraordinary appearance
He talked loudly while walking
Then, she looked at the one on the right
Indeed, she felt that this one even exceeded a tithe
Just look at him—wearing a golden crown with purple phoenix and emerald wings dangling
A bright pearl on his headband shone marvelously in the light
Under his golden crossed collars, a dragon pattern first appeared
Walking with a jade-white hem on the ground, his jade pendant swayed
Tied with a long jeweled belt of royal silk
Wearing robes made of brocade and green gauze
In his scabbard there hid a sharp sword shining in blue light
Below the scabbard revealed a goose-tailed knife
His face was like pear blossoms in a rainy night
His eyebrows were like willow leaves in haze and mist
His charming eyes were as cold as autumn water
And as gentle as spring wind faintly hitting the window
His red lips were like rouge-dyed
His jade ears were like white powder-painted
With the back of a tiger and the waist of a dragon, he had a miraculous look
The face of a pearl and the forehead of a courtyard, he had an elegant bearing
Walking like a jade tree that charmed in the wind
Standing like a mountain peak that held up the sun
Moving and pausing quietly, he was truly a handsome man
Laughing and speaking generously, he was indeed a hero
Embracing lofty ideals, he was content to guard the frontier
Possessing brilliant talents, he aimed to repay the court
His gallantry and virtue could be said to exceed all of the world
His knightly morale was able to soar in the sky
If he was determined to wear the gold insignia one day
Let alone seize the brocade robe today
Lady Han—after looking at Shaohua, the virtuous heir
Immense happiness erupted on her face
“Ah, wonderful! Two wonderful descendants from the families of generals!”
“The son of the Liu family is also worth praising
His appearance is also stunning
But he has a frivolous demeanor and is somewhat bad
On the right there is Huangfu Shaohua
Who is indeed surpassing him by far
Look at him—only aged fifteen but he has an extraordinary appearance
A handsome young man wearing embroidered armor and court robes
His demeanor like a dragon and phoenix is marked by the heavens
Which should be unparalleled through the ages
I only pray for mercy from the heavens
To let him hit the target three times in a row
If this hero marries my beloved daughter
He will truly be a good son-in-law”
Lady Han was pleased when watching
Beside her Feifeng presented great praising
“My mother-in-law—the two young masters are both fine young men
But still, the son of the commissioner-in-chief is the hero of the two
With a phoenix-like appearance and a dragon-like bearing he should be appointed as the minister
With a pearl-like forehead and a wide brow he is sure to ascend to the altar
Today, he also came to pursue the court robe
He can definitely hit the target without trouble
If Huangfu Shaohua became your son-in-law
Our girl—is sure to wear a complete set of a phoenix crown and embroidered tasseled cape”
Upon hearing her saying this Lady Han was glad
With a face full of joy she again started observing them
Let’s not talk about what happened to the ladies upstairs
And instead turn to the terrace—the beautiful girl Su Yingxue stared in awe
Two blushes arose on her fragrant cheeks
One stirring of love rose to her eyebrows:
“Oh heavens—please care for the talent and beauty
Please bless the hero from Huangfu family
The most outstanding one under the heavens is this man
Our master need not have invited young master Liu
So dignified is his personality that it worths respect
So majestic is his appearance that it invites admiration
If this robe was acquired by the Liu family
It would not be a match of dragon and phoenix
I hope the heavens will help the hero secretly
Don’t wrong the delicate Meng Lijun
My young miss—causing the fish to sink and the goose to fall, her appearance is remarkable
Causing the moon to hide and the flower to blush, her look is exceptional
Aside from her peerless appearance
She has a pure and genuine disposition
If she has a good destiny to be paired with this outstanding guest
That will really be a perfect match made in heaven
Sighing that at the age of fifteen
Born into a poor scholar’s family I am not yet engaged
My mother took me to the Minister’s mansion
Relying on Lady Han who treated us kindly
Until today—encountering this outstanding young man
How can these feelings of mine not be aroused [2] ?
It is a pity that the miss hasn’t met him
Upon seeing him she will certainly have the same feeling
I, Su Yingxue, don’t know that
How will my life end up?
If I could accompany the miss when she gets married
Then this ending is worthy of my deep emotion”
Lady Su thought about these things to herself
A group of maids were happy and amazed
They called Lady Su in an uproar:
“Just take a quick peek without lingering for long
With the company of our young master|
Two outstanding handsome young men entered”
The wetnurse waved her hand on the side
In a whisper she warned them not to be that loud:
“Don’t talk that much nonsense
You don’t know who the husband of our mistress will be”
The cry of the maids on the terrace
Drew attention from the two handsome men in the garden
They mistook it for the voice to call the miss
Together they peeked to figure out what was happening
They only saw that on the high tower
There were many people leaning on the handrails
There was a young woman behind them
Holding the hand of an old woman she had a graceful posture
Black hair was skillfully tied into a bun in the style of a crouching dragon
Her temples divided into two parts as light as clouds
The oblique flower inserted in her hair added to her beauty
The rolled-up brocade sleeves showed off her grace
A perfume satchel hung on her silvery red coat
A jeweled belt lowly tugged her black skirt
Face slightly red as if with powder
Cheeks blushing scarlet as if she was dizzy with love
Emerald eyebrows were light as far-away mountains
Starlight eyes were limpid as clear water
Tiny pearls and rings were hanging on her jade-like ears
Slender fingers were tidying up her brocade clothes
Her tender body was half hidden by the willow tree
Hiding her tender face and generating a hundred kinds of charm
After the two young men finished watching her
Liu Kuibi—was deeply enchanted
Covertly praising—secretly murmuring—
“Could she be the young miss Meng Lijun?
I just heard the indistinct calling for the young miss
Is it possible that she is the daughter of the Meng family?
Letting the flower feel ashamed and the moon hide she is truly endearing
Causing the goose to fall and the fish to sink she is immensely stunning
Although there are women that can cause the fall of a city
I have never seen a women of her beauty
If I can marry a wife like her
My romantic heart will be satisfied
Leaning on the handrail and looking downwards
Is it possible that—she doesn’t know we are competing with archery for the marriage?
Oh heavens!—I, Kuibi, as a dignified man
If I were to marry, I would have to get her, a charming woman
Even if my power may be exhausted today
Without getting the robe, I won’t plan anything else
If it is so hard to get such a fair lady
In the future, how can I command the army?
Not only will everyone look down upon me
The nature spring will also laugh at me
I hate Shaohua, who is surnamed Huangfu
He has proficient martial art skills and great ambition
Now that he has also arrived at the Minister’s mansion
He will surely show off his talent and won’t give ground to me in the competition
If I, Kuibi, cannot win
We will be alienated from today on
We both want to establish a career to become a hero
All is to be sought here in the garden
If he gets the robe, he can save his face
If I miss a shot, I will lose my reputation
This is truly—”If the heavens begot Zhou Yu, why would it also beget Zhuge Liang?
The whole situation made me hesitant and without determination”
Kuibi murmured and worried in his heart
Meanwhile, Shaohua also became suspicious
“Ah, interesting!”
“Since she is the distinguished young miss of an official
How can she observe strangers on the high tower?
I assumed this beauty was not the young miss
Just now I must have mistaken the calling from a maid
I am impressed by her beautiful appearance
Her precious image stirs my heart
However, she is standing on the tower
It seems that she must be another young lady
Chances are that she is the bosom friend of the miss
So she dares to lean on the railing and look at us
A beauty like this is truly worthy of my love
Marrying a wife like her will also satisfy my heart”
The two young masters peeped at the same time
The Hanlin scholar Jialing enthusiastically invited them into enter the pavilion
Upon arriving at the garden, they raised their heads to look
Master Meng stood up to welcome them
The two heroes made a deep cupped-hand salute
They entered the pavilion and sat down
Servants served fragrant tea
As well as twenty-four plates—each with dried and fresh fruits
The Minister and his son treated them with hospitality
After boiling the water, they again savored the tea
Seeing that the gardener came to the pavilion
One servant came up to report to the master
“Reporting to my master: Now the men and women in the neighborhood have heard we are hosting an archery competition in the Minister’s mansion to determine a son-in-law, and they have asked for your permission to enter the garden to watch. What do you think?”
After hearing this, a smile spread across the Minister’s face
He replies, “Let them enter the garden
Our hall is spacious with plenty of seats
Let them sit in the inner rows
Ask them not to be noisy
And watch our two talents attentively”
The gardener understood and left quickly
Men and women entered one after another
Holding their daughters and carrying their sons with smiles
Together all entered the inner hall
Lady Su saw the neighbors arriving
And withdrew behind a beaded curtain without coming out
The Minister immediately stood up to see
He asked the servants to arrange the chairs in rows
Letting them sit in the hallway in front of the courtyard
And ordered them to promptly prepare the horses
The servants obliged and began their preparations
The Minister beamed with joy and said:
[1] The original text is qieqie 怯怯. It is the onomatopoeia for the chirping of the birds. [2] Su Yingxue here prays for good marriage between Huangfu Shaohua and her mistress, Meng Lijun. She also pities herself of not getting a marriage like this. There is also a tradition at that time that the maid could go with the mistress to marry into her husband’s family and become the concubine of her husband. So Su is also secretly hoping that Meng Lijun marries to Huangfu Shaohua so she will also end up with Huangfu Shaohua. [3] The original text is xü tuirang 虛推讓. Refuse to accept due to modesty and politeness.
Here is an error:
Provincial Administration Commissioner Qin—did not GOT up until bowing onto his hands for three times
should be “did not GET up”
Here is a mistake:
One—a suave gentleman adorned with emerald-sleeved garbs and a garland atop his head
The other—a gallant woman suited in embroidered armor and a golden helmet
一個是，金盔繡甲風流客。(男)
一個是，翠袖花冠美貌君。（女）
“emerald-sleeved garbs and a garland atop” is a description for the woman
” in embroidered armor and a golden helmet” is a description for the gentleman