Romance of the Western Chamber · chapter 15 of 21
Hongniang Speaks Up
红娘说话了
Madam Cui learns about a night in the garden. Hongniang must kneel and answer for it, and one wrong word could cost Yingying everything.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 春天过去了，秋天来了。一天早上，老夫人在西厢里叫来了红娘。
Chūntiān guòqù le, qiūtiān lái le. Yì tiān zǎoshang, Lǎo fūrén zài Xīxiāng li jiào lái le Hóngniáng.
Spring passed, and autumn came. One morning in the Western Chamber, Madam Cui sent for Hongniang.
- Madam Cui 红娘，跪下！
Hóngniáng, guìxià!
Hongniang, kneel!
- Hongniang 老夫人，红娘做错了什么？
Lǎo fūrén, Hóngniáng zuò cuò le shénme?
Madam, what has Hongniang done wrong?
Chapter 15 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of Romance of the Western Chamber (chapters 1–5) is free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Madam Cui 莺莺这几个月变了，跟以前不一样了。话少了，还常常脸红。
Yīngyīng zhè jǐ gè yuè biàn le, gēn yǐqián bù yíyàng le. Huà shǎo le, hái chángcháng liǎn hóng.
Yingying has changed these past months. She isn't the girl she was. She talks less, and she often blushes.
- Madam Cui 欢郎告诉我，有一天晚上，你和小姐去了花园，到半夜都没有回来。
Huānláng gàosu wǒ, yǒu yì tiān wǎnshang, nǐ hé xiǎojiě qù le huāyuán, dào bànyè dōu méiyǒu huílai.
Huanlang told me that one night you and the young lady went into the garden and still weren't back at midnight.
- Hongniang 那个欢郎！小孩子的眼睛，什么都看见了。
Nàge Huānláng! Xiǎoháizi de yǎnjing, shénme dōu kànjiàn le.
That Huanlang! Those little eyes saw everything.
- Madam Cui 你还不说？
Nǐ hái bù shuō?
You still won't talk?
- Narrator 老夫人打了红娘一下。
Lǎo fūrén dǎ le Hóngniáng yíxià.
Madam Cui struck Hongniang once.
- Hongniang 老夫人别打！我说。那天晚上，我们在花园里烧香。
Lǎo fūrén bié dǎ! Wǒ shuō. Nà tiān wǎnshang, wǒmen zài huāyuán li shāoxiāng.
Don't hit me, Madam! I'll tell you. That night, we were burning incense in the garden.
- Hongniang 小姐说，张生病了，我们就去书房看看他。
Xiǎojiě shuō, Zhāng Shēng bìng le, wǒmen jiù qù shūfáng kànkan tā.
Miss said Zhang Sheng was ill, so we went to the study to see him.
- Madam Cui 看病？你们看了一夜？
Kànbìng? Nǐmen kàn le yí yè?
To see a sick man? All night long?
- Hongniang 好，红娘说真话。小姐爱张生，张生也爱小姐。
Hǎo, Hóngniáng shuō zhēnhuà. Xiǎojiě ài Zhāng Shēng, Zhāng Shēng yě ài xiǎojiě.
All right, Hongniang will tell the truth. Miss loves Zhang Sheng, and Zhang Sheng loves Miss.
- Hongniang 可是老夫人，这件事，要怪就怪您！
Kěshì Lǎo fūrén, zhè jiàn shì, yào guài jiù guài nín!
But Madam, if anyone is to blame for this, it's you!
- Madam Cui 怪我？红娘，你说什么？
Guài wǒ? Hóngniáng, nǐ shuō shénme?
Blame me? Hongniang, what are you saying?
- Hongniang 老夫人别生气，听红娘说完。
Lǎo fūrén bié shēngqì, tīng Hóngniáng shuō wán.
Don't be angry, Madam. Hear Hongniang out.
- Hongniang 第一，强盗来的时候，您说：谁救了我们，小姐就嫁给谁。
Dì yī, qiángdào lái de shíhou, nín shuō: shéi jiù le wǒmen, xiǎojiě jiù jià gěi shéi.
First: when the bandits came, you said whoever saved us would marry Miss.
- Hongniang 老夫人，张生救了我们，您又说他是小姐的哥哥。您说话不算话！
Lǎo fūrén, Zhāng Shēng jiù le wǒmen, nín yòu shuō tā shì xiǎojiě de gēge. Nín shuōhuà bú suànhuà!
Madam, Zhang Sheng saved us, and then you said he was Miss's elder brother. You didn't keep your word!
- Hongniang 第二，您没有送他走，还让他住在书房，就在小姐的花园旁边。
Dì èr, nín méiyǒu sòng tā zǒu, hái ràng tā zhù zài shūfáng, jiù zài xiǎojiě de huāyuán pángbiān.
Second: you didn't send him away. You kept him in the study, right beside Miss's garden.
- Hongniang 第三，这件事要是让外边的人知道了，大家都会笑话崔家。
Dì sān, zhè jiàn shì yàoshi ràng wàibian de rén zhīdào le, dàjiā dōu huì xiàohua Cuī jiā.
Third: if people outside hear about this, everyone will laugh at the Cui family.
- Hongniang 老夫人，小错，您就别怪了。让他们结婚，不是一件好事吗？
Lǎo fūrén, xiǎo cuò, nín jiù bié guài le. Ràng tāmen jiéhūn, bú shì yí jiàn hǎoshì ma?
Madam, forgive a small wrong. Letting them marry, wouldn't that be a good thing?
- Madam Cui 你这个红娘啊，真会说话。可是，你说得也对。
Nǐ zhège Hóngniáng a, zhēn huì shuōhuà. Kěshì, nǐ shuō de yě duì.
Oh, Hongniang, you certainly know how to talk. But you're right.
- Madam Cui 好吧。去，叫莺莺和张生来。
Hǎo ba. Qù, jiào Yīngyīng hé Zhāng Shēng lái.
Very well. Go and fetch Yingying and Zhang Sheng.
- Narrator 不一会儿，莺莺和张生都来了，两个人的脸都红红的。
Bù yíhuìr, Yīngyīng hé Zhāng Shēng dōu lái le, liǎng gè rén de liǎn dōu hónghóng de.
Soon Yingying and Zhang Sheng had both come, and both their faces were red.
- Madam Cui 莺莺，娘把你嫁给张生。
Yīngyīng, niáng bǎ nǐ jià gěi Zhāng Shēng.
Yingying, I give you to Zhang Sheng as his wife.
- Cui Yingying 娘，谢谢您。
Niáng, xièxie nín.
Mother, thank you.
- Zhang Sheng 老夫人！我要给您拜一百拜！
Lǎo fūrén! Wǒ yào gěi nín bài yìbǎi bài!
Madam! I'll bow to you a hundred times!
- Madam Cui 一拜就够了。张生，我们崔家三代的女婿，没有一个不是官。
Yí bài jiù gòu le. Zhāng Shēng, wǒmen Cuī jiā sān dài de nǚxu, méiyǒu yí gè bú shì guān.
One bow is enough. Zhang Sheng, for three generations, every son-in-law of our Cui family has been an official.
- Madam Cui 你明天就去京城考试。考上了，再回来。考不上，就别回来了。
Nǐ míngtiān jiù qù jīngchéng kǎoshì. Kǎoshàng le, zài huílai. Kǎo bu shàng, jiù bié huílai le.
Tomorrow you leave for the exams in the capital. Pass, and then come back. Fail, and don't come back at all.
- Hongniang 傻书生，第一杯喜酒，别忘了是红娘的！
Shǎ shūshēng, dì yī bēi xǐjiǔ, bié wàng le shì Hóngniáng de!
Silly scholar, don't forget: the first cup of wedding wine is Hongniang's!
- Madam Cui 明天，我们在长亭送你。
Míngtiān, wǒmen zài Chángtíng sòng nǐ.
Tomorrow we will see you off at the Long Pavilion.
- Cui Yingying 明天？这么快……
Míngtiān? Zhème kuài…
Tomorrow? So soon...
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Who told Madam Cui about the night in the garden?
“欢郎告诉我”
- What story does Hongniang tell Madam Cui first?
“小姐说，张生病了，我们就去书房看看他”
- Who does Hongniang say is to blame?
“要怪就怪您”
- What does Hongniang say will happen if people outside find out?
“大家都会笑话崔家”
- What must Zhang Sheng do before he can come back?
“考上了，再回来”