Jia Baoyu's Visit to the Land of Illusion (part 5)

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Baoyu opens the cabinet labeled "The Secondary Twelve Beauties of Jinling" and takes out a book. The first page is not a picture of a person or landscape but a wash of ink, full of dark clouds and mist. There are a few lines of text:
"A clear moon is hard to find, colorful clouds easily scatter.
Her heart is as high as the sky, but her fate is lowly.
Her charm and cleverness invite resentment.
Her short life is often due to slander.
The affectionate young man is left with empty thoughts."

Baoyu, not understanding, turns to the next page and sees a bunch of fresh flowers and a tattered mat. The text reads:
"Though gentle and harmonious, she is in vain.
People say she is like osmanthus and orchid.
How enviable are the actors with their fortune,
While the young man has no fate with her."

Baoyu, still puzzled, puts the book back and opens the main record cabinet. The first page shows two withered trees with a jade belt hanging from one and a gold hairpin buried in the snow. The text reads:
"Pity the virtue of the weaving wife,
Lament the talent of the poetess.
The jade belt hangs in the woods,
The gold hairpin is buried in the snow."

Baoyu, still confused, continues reading. The next page shows a bow with a citron hanging from it. The text reads:
"For twenty years, she discerned right from wrong,
The pomegranate blossoms illuminated the palace.
The early spring surpasses the late spring,
When the tiger and rabbit meet, the dream ends."

The following page depicts two people flying kites, a vast sea, and a large boat with a woman crying. The text reads:
"Her talent and ambition were high,
Born in a declining era, her fate was unfortunate.
Crying by the river during the Qingming Festival,
A thousand miles away, the east wind blows her dreams."

The next page shows a few wisps of clouds and a stream of water. The text reads:
"What use is wealth and honor?
In swaddling clothes, parents are gone.
Looking back at the setting sun,
The river flows, the clouds drift."

The next page shows a beautiful jade falling into the mud. The text reads:
"Wanting purity, but never pure,
The clouds are empty, but not empty.
Pity the jade's quality,
Falling into the mire."

The following page depicts a fierce wolf chasing a beautiful woman. The text reads:
"You are a wolf from Zhongshan,
Arrogant and rampant when successful.
The flower-like beauty of the noble house,
In one year, she meets her end."

The next page shows an ancient temple with a beautiful woman reading scriptures alone. The text reads:
"Seeing through the short-lived spring,
She changes into monastic robes.
Pity the noblewoman,
Alone with a lamp in an ancient temple."

The next page depicts an ice mountain with a phoenix. The text reads:
"A common bird from the end times,
Everyone admires her talent.
Once a widow, twice a widow, three times a widow,
Crying at Jinling, the sorrow is deeper."

The next page shows a rural village with a beautiful woman spinning thread. The text reads:
"Don't talk about wealth when fallen,
Don't discuss relatives when the family is gone.
By chance, she helps a village woman,
Meeting a benefactor by luck."

The following page shows a pot of orchids with a beautiful woman in a phoenix coronet and robe. The text reads:
"The peach and plum blossoms bear fruit,
Who is like a pot of orchids?
Pure as ice, envied by all,
In vain, laughed at by others."

The next page shows a tall building with a beautiful woman hanging herself. The text reads:
"Love and sorrow are deep,
Love leads to lust.
Don't say all unworthy ones come from the Rong family,
The trouble started at Ning."

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