yore, the duke of Ning Kuo and the duke of Jung Kuo were two uterine
brothers. The Ning duke was the elder; he had four sons. After the death
of the duke of Ning Kuo, his eldest son, Chia Tai-hua, came into the
title. He also had two sons; but the eldest, whose name was Hu, died at
the age of eight or nine; and the only survivor, the second son, Chia
Ching, inherited the title. His whole mind is at this time set upon
Taoist doctrines; his sole delight is to burn the pill and refine the
dual powers; while every other thought finds no place in his mind.
Happily, he had, at an early age, left a son, Chia Chen, behind in the
lay world, and his father, engrossed as his whole heart was with the
idea of attaining spiritual life, ceded the succession of the official
title to him. His parent is, besides, not willing to return to the
original family seat, but lives outside the walls of the capital,
foolishly hobnobbing with all the Taoist priests. This Mr. Chen had also
a son, Chia Jung, who is, at this period, just in his sixteenth year.
Mr. Ching gives at present no attention to anything at all, so that Mr.
Chen naturally devotes no time to his studies, but being bent upon
nought else but incessant high pleasure, he has subversed the order of
things in the Ning Kuo mansion, and yet no one can summon the courage to
come and hold him in check. But I'll now tell you about the Jung mansion
for your edification. The strange occurrence, to which I alluded just
now, came about in this manner. After the demise of the Jung duke, the
eldest son, Chia Tai-shan, inherited the rank. He took to himself as
wife, the daughter of Marquis Shih, a noble family of Chin Ling, by whom
he had two sons; the elder being Chia She, the younger Chia Cheng. This
Tai Shan is now dead long ago; but his wife is still alive, and the
elder son, Chia She, succeeded to the degree. He is a man of amiable and
genial disposition, but he likewise gives no thought to the direction of
any domestic concern. The second son Chia Cheng displayed, from his
early childhood, a great liking for books, and grew up to be correct and