As Lady Dowager's loyal maid, Yuan-yang faints from too much weeping over the old lady's death. After thinking about the hopelessness of her position and her future in the Chin family, she decides to die rather than become a concubine or be married off to a servant. She commits suicide by hanging herself, and her death is clearly a defiance of feudal persecution and oppression — a slave's rebellion against that system. Ironically, however, the Chin family members look upon her death as filial piety to the old lady. They praise her deed highly, seeing it as in keeping with traditional ethics and an honor for the family.
While Chin Cheng, Lady Wang, Lady Hsing, and others escort the coffins of both Lady Dowager and Yuan-yang to Iron Threshold Temple, Hsi-fengand Hsi-chun are left in charge of house affairs. Chou Jui's godson Ho San seizes this chance to join with outside gamesters and break into the mansion that night to steal Lady Dowager's silver and gold. Taking the valuables, the brigands see pretty Miao-yu, who is visiting Hsi-chun, and they later kidnap her from the Nunnery. Hsi-chun, anxious and depressed, decides to break with the evil world and become a nun.
Chin Cheng, when informed of the robbery, realizes they will have a difficult time making a list of all the stolen goods, since only Yuan-yang knew what property the old lady had, but they put a list together as best they can and notify the police.
Meanwhile, Concubine Chao, mourning at the Temple, falls to the ground, foaming at the mouth. She is believed to be bewitched as she babbles about the evil deeds that she has committed during her lifetime.
In Chapter 113, raving insanely, weeping, and begging for mercy, Concubine Chao dies. Some think that she has been tortured to death by the King of Hell because she plotted murder. It is predicted that Wang Hsi-feng must be fated for the same destiny, as well. In fact, Hsi-feng is confined to bed in a critical condition. When Granny Liu arrives, Hsi-feng asks to see her and treats her kindly, even entrusting her daughter Chiao-chieh to Granny Liu's guidance. Wang Hsi-feng 's arrogance and conceit during Granny Liu's earlier visits stands in sharp contrast with her humbleness now, a result of the Chin family's loss of power and prestige.
Thinking of Miao-yu's being kidnapped, Pao-yu recalls Chuang Tzu's saying about the illusory nature of life: Men are born to drift with the wind and scatter like clouds.
