After Chia Lien tells Liu about Third Sister's matchless beauty and her pledge of devotion to Liu, Liu gives his swords (a "duck" and a "drake") to Chia Lien as pledges to marry the matchlessly beautiful Third Sister.
Later, however, when he considers all of the ramifications of Third Sister's relationship with the Chia family, he regrets having promised to marry her. In his opinion, the only "clean things" in the Chia family are the two stone lions at the gate. Therefore, he begs Chia Lien to return the swords. Third Sister overhears Liu's request and cuts her throat with the "duck" sword. Liu is stunned; he is so instantly impressed with the young girl's obvious chastity that he is torn with remorse. Vowing to become a monk, he disappears with a lame Taoist priest.
In this chapter, we see that Third Sister Yu is a girl who has lived a rebelliously decadent and debauched life among the feudal aristocrats, but regardless of their power and authority, she dares to verbally abuse her animal-like masters. She is a spokesperson for the oppressed people. She defies the lustful desires of the feudal landlords and does her best with courage and cleverness to defend her character and her newfound chastity. In this way, she is fighting for her individual freedom in marriage. Her bold behavior is in sharp contrast with the docile nature of Second Sister and the submissive girls in the Garden. Clearly, Third Sister could have lived a happily married life—were it not for the fact that Liu rashly jumped to the wrong conclusions about her relationship with the Chia family. Therefore, Third Sister's committing suicide and Liu's becoming a monk are indictments of the numerous crimes committed by feudal lords (like the Chias) and by feudalism itself.
In Chapter 67, Hsueh Pan returns from his trip with two enormous cases of gifts for his mother and sister. Pao-chai is a considerate person; she keeps a few gifts for herself and then gives the rest to the many members of her family. Tai-yu, however, receives twice as many presents as anyone else. Ironically, everyone is joyous and grateful—except Tai-yu, who is grief-stricken because the gifts come from the south, reminding her of her deceased parents and her old hometown. Pao-yu tries to comfort her when he sees her in tears.
Meanwhile, Hsi-feng learns that her husband, Chia Lien, has married a "second wife." She summons Hsing-erh and questions him closely about the details of the arrangement. Out of fear and hoping to escape a severe beating, Hsing-erh tells her everything, and Hsi-feng 's anger and jealousy is without parallel. She is furious, and quickly she conceives a cunning plan "to kill several birds with one stone."
Again, we realize that Wang Hsi-feng is the best conceived and the liveliest-drawn character in the novel. Her wit, cunning, and treachery (and her cruelty, as well) are vividly realized here—particularly in the scene where she interrogates Hsing-erh. In the author's careful depiction of Hsi-feng , he proves himself once more to be a skilled master of character portrayal.
In Chapter 68, Hsi-feng sets her devious scheme in motion. First, she orders workmen to have three rooms decorated identically to her own. Then she goes to visit Second Sister Yu in her new house and invites her to come live with the Chia family; she promises to treat Second Sister as an equal. Hsi-feng 's fraudulently sweet tongue and her high-sounding phrases convince the credulous and inexperienced Second Sister to move into the newly decorated rooms of the Chia family's mansion during Chia Lien's absence.
Meanwhile, Hsi-feng orders a man-servant to convince Clang Hua (Second Sister's formerly betrothed suitor) to bring legal action against Chia Lien for being secretly married to Second Sister during a period of state and family mourning. Then Hsi-feng goes to see Chia Jung and Madame Yu and abuses them with foul language. When Hsi-feng requests to see Chia Chen, Madame Yu and Chia Jung promise to pay five hundred taels. Madame Yu and Chia Jung repeatedly beg to be kept out of the lawsuit, so Hsi-feng pretends to agree and assures them that once the official mourning period is over, Second Sister Yu can live with Chia Lien in the new quarters.
Then Hsi-feng tells Second Sister what has happened and "promises" to keep her out of the dilemma. At this point, Hsi-feng has them all frightened with possible legal humiliation. Her treacherous scheme of convincing Chang Hun to bring charges against Chia Lien offers us full proof of her two-faced character as she unravels her wicked revenge on the naive and unsuspecting Second Sister. Furthermore, Hsi-feng makes use of the Chia family's corrupt influence with the court and the judge in order to fully satisfy her selfish motives. Here is evidence that the court, once bribed, willingly serves as an instrument of the powerful Chia family. The darkness and decadence of feudal politics and officials are convincingly laid bare here.
In Chapter 69, Hsi-feng brings Second Sister Yu and Madame Yu to pay their respects to Lady Dowager and Lady Wang. Both of the high-born ladies consider Hsi-feng extremely generous for allowing Chia Lien to marry a second wife. Behind the scenes, however, Hsi-feng is now urging Chang Hua to claim his former fiancée, Second Sister Yu, for his bride. But, bribed by Chin Chen and Chia Jung, Chang Hua and his father leave the city. When Hsi-feng learns of this, she orders a servant to have Chang Hua killed so that he will not return and cause trouble for her. Her servant, however, reluctant to commit murder, lies to Hsi-feng and tells her that both father and son were killed during a highway robbery.
Upon Chin Lien's return, old Chia Sheh rewards him with a hundred taels and gives him his maid Chiutung as a concubine. Hsi-feng is furious: Now she has another rival. However, she is not easily bested, and she quickly makes use of Chiu-tung's naiveté and sense of superiority, urging her to find continual fault with Second Sister. Before long, Second Sister Yu falls ill and miscarries a son—all because of Chiu-tung's maltreatment. Finally, Second Sister Yu is so distraught and unhappy that she commits suicide by swallowing a piece of gold. Her tragic ending is narrated in a sympathetic tone, revealing the author's indictment of the cold and immoral crimes of these feudal rulers.
As Chapter 70 opens, Chin Lien is busy with the funeral ceremonies of Second Sister Yu, who is to be buried near the grave of Third Sister Yu.
Meanwhile, Pao-yu is reflecting upon a long series of misfortunes: the loss of his friend Liu Hsiang-lien, the suicides of Second Sister and Third Sister, and Liu Wu-erh's illness. He feels terribly dejected, and he often acts like a madman. His mood lightens, though, when Hsiang-yun suggests to him that all the members of the poetry club should again try their hands at poetry. Soon, they are all enjoying reading their poems to one another, but suddenly they hear the sound of a big butterfly kite crashing into the wild bamboo, and immediately, they are all eager to fly kites and thereby dispel evil influences and bad luck.
This get-together is a little different from previous ones. The four families' financial descent is compared to faded flowers and withered willows. The previous meetings for poetry writing served as a kind of reflection of the Chin family's prosperity. This time, however, the gathering is symbolically pictured as a kind of decay, a gradual decline of all four families. The young people's kites are all released finally, drifting away until they vanish from sight. This seems to be a symbolic omen for all the beauties in Grand View Garden, because later on, they all will be dispersed, leaving behind them a scene of desolation.
