红楼梦Chapter18_小升初阅读_小升初-查字典英语网

红楼梦Chapter18

the imperial consort Yuan stood up and asking Pao-yue to lead the way， she followed in his steps， along with the whole party， and betook herself on foot as far as the entrance of the garden gate， whence she at once espied， in the lustre shed by the lanterns， every kind of decorations. Entering the garden， they first passed the spots with the device a phoenix comes with dignified air， the red (flowers are) fragrant and the GREen (banana leaves like) jade! the sign on the apricot tree is visible， the fragrance pure of the ligularia and iris， and other places; and ascending the towers they walked up the halls， forded the streams and wound round the hills; contemplating as they turned their gaze from side to side， each place arranged in a different style， and each kind of article laid out in unique designs. The Chia consort expressed her admiration in most profuse eulogiums， and then went on to advise them： that it was not expedient to indulge in future in such excessive extravagance and that all these arrangements were over and above what should have been done.

Presently they reached the main pavilion， where she commanded that they could dispense with the rites and take their seats. A sumptuous banquet was laid out， at which dowager lady Chia and the other ladies occupied the lower seats and entertained each other， while Mrs. Yu， widow Li Wan， lady Feng and the rest presented the soup and handed the cups. The Imperial consort Yuan subsequently directed that the pencils and inkslabs should be brought， and with her own hands she opened the silken paper. She chose the places she liked， and conferred upon them a name; and devising a general designation for the garden， she called it the Ta Kuan garden (Broad vista)， while for the tablet of the main pavilion the device she composed ran as follows： Be mindful of the grace and remember the equity (of His Majesty); with this inscription on the antithetical scrolls：