Hsi-jen's spitting blood worries Pao-yu, so he secretly sends for Doctor Wang (so as not to alarm the entire household). Doctor Wang says that His-jen has had a contusion and prescribes some pills for her recovery.
Next day, in a gloomy mood, Pao-yu criticizes his maid Ching-wen for dropping his fan and breaking it; the two quarrel, and during the argument Ching-wen ridicules Hsi-jen's ambition to be a concubine. Later, when Hsi-jen tries to make peace between them, Pao-yu threatens to fire Ching-wen. Hsi-jen tries to reconcile them, but Ching-wen argues with her and exposes Hsi-jen's ambitions openly. Pao-yu threatens again to fire Ching-wen, and Hsijen tries to pacify Pao-yu again. As a result, Pao-yu offers to let Ching-wen tear up as many fans as possible—just to win her smile again.
This episode illustrates how rebellious Ching-wen is. Her character and personality are in sharp contrast with Hsi-jen's. Ching-wen looks down on her rulers' "authority." That's why she sympathizes with Pao-yu. However, when Pao-yu puts on the airs of a master, she defies him and dares to fight for her own rights. Her tendency to hate conniving people is revealed when she exposes Hsi-jen's ambitions. Of course, Ching-wen's tearing up fans is not good, but her behavior is only another example of the fact that she is influenced by the wasteful, aristocratic examples that she sees all around her.
When Pao-yu's cousin Shih Hsiang-yun comes to visit the Chia family and to see Pao-yu, in particular, we see that both of them still like to play pranks and create mischief, as they did when they were young. After giving Hsi-jen and the other maids some gifts, Hsiang-yun explains why she brought them herself (instead of sending a page). Her cleverness makes Pao-yu praise her as "still such a talker." Out of jealousy, Tai-yu says, "Even if she couldn't talk, her golden unicorn could." Tai-yu knows that Pao-yu has already purchased a golden unicorn for Hsiang-yun, one which he got from Yuan-chun.
Chapter 32 begins with Hsiang-yun teasingly reprimanding Pao-yu for losing the gold unicorn, comparing losing a unicorn to losing an official seal. To Hsiang-yun's surprise, Pao-yu says that losing an official seal is nothing. Hsiang-yun then advises Pao-yu to associate with officials more frequently and learn something about world affairs and administrative matters; in addition, she praises Pao-chai as the best, most good-natured, and most tolerant girl among all her cousins. Pao-yu retorts immediately, sarcastically remarking that "people with such worldly wisdom like yours will be corrupted here." Pao-yu then tells Hsiang-yun frankly the reason why he feels such an attachment for Tai-yu: Tai-yu never talks disgusting nonsense.
Eavesdropping, Tai-yu is overjoyed when she overhears this compliment, but she is still worried about Pao-chai's golden locket, which "matches" (according to feudal precepts) Pao-yu's jade amulet, and she is also disturbed about Pao-yu's possession of a golden unicorn which matches Hsiang-yun's unicorn.
Suddenly Pao-yu sees Tai-yu crying, and he asks her not to worry about anything. He bares his heart to her, but it doesn't seem to help.
When Tai-yu is gone and Hsi-jen joins him, Pao-yu is standing as though in a trance, and he mistakes Hsi-jen for Tai-yu, again baring his heart. His secret is out! Now Hsi-jen, who is a favorite of the feudal Chia family rulers, knows all about Pao-yu's deep love for Tai-yu. Not surprisingly, Hsi-jen concocts a secret plan for dealing with the problem, foreshadowing the persecution of Pao-yu and Tai-yu by the feudal Chia family rulers, who refuse to tolerate Pao-yu's unconventional ideas and behavior.
Later in the chapter, we learn that the maid Chin-chuan threw herself down a well because of the disgrace of being slapped and fired by Lady Wang. Her death makes Lady Wang feel uneasy, so she decides to send the girl's family two sets of new clothes for Chin-Chuan's burial—to assuage her guilt. The author's point is this: Lady Wang seems to be kind and generous to the servants, but she is not, and Chin-chuan's tragic death is the author's condemnation of the entire feudal slavery system.
Because he is jealous of Pao-yu's being the heir apparent to the Chia fortune, Hsueh Pan is responsible for an officer from the household of Prince Chungshun arriving at Chia Cheng's door and exposing Pao-yu's relationship with Chi-kuan (Chiang Yu-han), His Highness' favorite actor. He wants to make sure that Chia Cheng knows that Pao-yu and the actor exchanged sashes. When Chia Cheng hears about the incident, he is ashamed and furious, and he is even further incensed when Chia Huan tells him that Chinchuan drowned herself because Pao-yu tried to rape her. Now, Chia Cheng's fury knows no bounds. He orders his servants to fetch Pao-yu, and he beats the boy savagely until Lady Wang and Lady Dowager come to Pao-yu's rescue.
Pao-yu's buttocks and legs are black and blue, every inch bruised or bleeding. The two ladies, as always, dote on Pao-yu and are clearly against using force on the young man; instead, they want to use peaceful methods to discipline him and win his heart. They pin all their hopes on Pao-yu and deeply hope that he matures into the kind of man whom their feudal family reputation requires. They have always used loving, indulgent methods of educating the young heir.
Lady Dowager scolds Chia Cheng for beating Pao-yu. She is so angry with him that she threatens to leave and take Pao-yu and Lady Wang to Nanking immediately. Chia Cheng, of course, good filial son that he is, has to give in to his mother. He kneels down and asks for forgiveness, and Pao-yu is carried to Lady Dowager's room.
Chia Cheng's beating Pao-yu is one of the climaxes in this novel, and it is also a turning point. This episode is a demonstration of the sharp contradiction between the father—Chia Cheng, who represents the forces of feudalism—and Chia Pao-yu, his son, who represents the forces of rebellion. They hold opposite attitudes towards seeking officialdom and marriage, and this violent outbreak, symbolic of the contradiction of the two forces, is an inevitable outcome of the development of Pao-yu's rebellious actions—totally unlike the old, traditional feudal norms.
Chapters 34 and 35 describe different attitudes and reflections by various members of the Chia family after Pao-yu is severely beaten by his father. Pao-chai's attitude is best expressed in her statement, "This would never have happened if you'd [Pao-yu] paid the least attention to my advice." She is trying to convince Pao-yu that he must conform to the old feudal role of seeking his fortune and official position so as to become the worthy successor to his family's rank and reputation.
