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Index
Cover
Half title
Title
Copyright
Contents
Foreword
Translator’s Note
Cast of Major Characters
Chapter 1. Simplicity Zhao visits his uncle on Salt Melon Street, and Benevolence Hong makes a match at the Hall of Beauties
Chapter 2. A callow youth trying a pipe is just good for a laugh, and a virgin courtesan attending a party is unscathed by a gibe
Chapter 3. A professional name links the new girl to the belles of the family, and etiquette places a young man in the seat of honor
Chapter 4. Benevolence acts as comprador to help a friend, and Pearlie signals to her girl to curb her jealousy
Chapter 5. An empty slot is speedily filled by a new love, and a new arrangement is kept from an old flame
Chapter 6. A playful belle calls her client her son, and a phenomenal girl dominates her madam
Chapter 7. One girl casts a spell and lays a vicious trap, and another meets a good mate but can’t escape her fate
Chapter 8. Second Sister retains a treasure box with dark designs, and Green Phoenix refuses a carriage ride with ready wit
Chapter 9. Little Rouge fells Constance with her fist, and Green Phoenix engages Prosperity in a battle of words
Chapter 10. A new girl is given strict instructions at her toilet, and old debts are lightly dismissed by a hanger-on
Chapter 11. The fire bell ringing at night causes a false alarm, and a brother-in-law on a family visit gets a warm welcome
Chapter 12. A peacemaker is dispatched behind the beloved’s back, and trickery provides cover for an adulterous woman
Chapter 13. At the deflowering of Jewel, someone waits in the wings, and on the mah-jongg table, a trap is set for Crane Li
Chapter 14. A lone whoremonger meets rough company, and a gang of conspirators runs a crooked game
Chapter 15. Bright Pearl attends a party at Civic Peace Alley, and Pragmatic Li smokes opium at the House of Floral Rain
Chapter 16. A bargain for a rich patron carries hidden consequences, and a game of dominoes serves as a pastime
Chapter 17. Twin Pearl secretly criticizes her mother, and Benevolence Hong severely reprimands his nephew
Chapter 18. A lined jacket conveys Jade Tao’s deep love, and an expensive banquet allays White Fragrance’s wrath
Chapter 19. Deceived by love, Modesty Zhu misreads a hidden motive; plagued by illness, Water Blossom puts on a brave face
Chapter 20. Water Blossom, aggrieved, rages at the mirror, and Jade Tao, deeply in love, shares her nightmare
Chapter 21. A prostitute lies about consulting the gods to find a missing article, and a henpecked husband throws a party behind his wife’s back
Chapter 22. Green Phoenix secures a loan toward her ransom, and Snow Scent is angered by an argument about shopping
Chapter 23. A young girl overhears things said behind her back, and a jealous wife courts insult in a brothel
Chapter 24. Constance protects a fellow courtesan to keep the peace, and Simplicity Zhao, a ruined man, feels no regret
Chapter 25. A fond lover’s chiding revives old memories, and the time of the month delays a tryst
Chapter 26. Nocturnal sounds show a couple’s real prowess, and a lustful look betrays a woman’s false modesty
Chapter 27. The drunk who disrupts a tryst empties his stomach, and a whore’s burning hands prove her randy nature
Chapter 28. A policeman mounts the roof of a gambling den, and a whoremonger shames his family by pulling a ricksha
Chapter 29. Second Treasure and her friend go in search of her brother, and an adopted relative takes the girls sight-seeing
Chapter 30. The Zhaos move to new quarters that come with hired help, and an old barber complains about his worthless son in a teahouse
Chapter 31. An uncle’s reproaches lead to the severing of family ties, and a difference in taste frustrates a would-be matchmaker
Chapter 32. Gold Flower gets a whipping for imitating her better, and Twin Jade leaves a handkerchief as a token for her lover
Chapter 33. Little Rouge is unhappy with the jade jewelry, and Lotuson Wang goes on a drunken rampage
Chapter 34. The wanton shrew gets her just punishment, and the cuckolded lover gets married in revenge
Chapter 35. Second Treasure, poverty-stricken, takes up the oldest profession, and River Blossom, falling ill, spoils everyone’s fun
Chapter 36. A strange love feeds on constant squabbling, and a miracle cure depends on the good doctor
Chapter 37. A willing apprentice is rewarded with torture, and a brothel hand is blackmailed into a loan
Chapter 38. Second Treasure hopes for wedded bliss in the Shi family, and Harmony Qi hosts a party in Rustic Retreat
Chapter 39. A drinking game sees ivory sticks fly at the pavilion, and golden carp draw fishing boats to compete on the lake
Chapter 40. A bridge of magpies joins two stars on Lovers’ Day, and a witty pun is a stone that kills two birds
Chapter 41. Harsh words in the boudoir kill old loyalties, and a reunion in the garden cures lovesickness
Chapter 42. Water Blossom, leaving her beloved, departs this world, and Cloud Tao, worried about his brother, faces the funeral
Chapter 43. An empty room is a potent reminder of lost love, and innocent words affirm that the dead will return
Chapter 44. Wenjun tricks a rascal and gets off with a song, and Green Phoenix tackles greed by insisting on a low ransom
Chapter 45. The vile crone changes color when a settlement is overturned, and the child courtesan gets jealous when left on the sidelines
Chapter 46. Green Fragrance acquires new friends through child’s play, and Jade Tao revisits an old haunt for a memorial service
Chapter 47. Cloudlet Chen has the good fortune of meeting a benefactor, and Snow Scent gets predictions for a male child
Chapter 48. Mistake after mistake bars the gates of the mansion, and swindle after swindle exemplifies the ways of the marketplace
Chapter 49. What’s returned to the owner becomes a target for theft, and a member of the family is marked for extortion
Chapter 50. A rascal’s tactics are aimed at faultfinding, and a slight interruption brings a beating
Chapter 51. A fugitive hides from an unwelcome guest, and a slave artiste vies with a courtesan
Chapter 52. A young woman in a lonely bed dreads an empty room, and hospitality means a shared bed and chatting through the night
Chapter 53. Flowers of different types are forcibly grafted together, and mating birds are driven asunder by a sudden alarm
Chapter 54. A faithless lover half-heartedly plights his troth, and an unfaithful woman gets a well-deserved beating
Chapter 55. Second Treasure is plagued by doubts despite her lover’s promise of marriage, and Verdure Xu is embarrassed for sharing a whore’s bed with his friends
Chapter 56. Third Pan, the underground prostitute, plots a theft, and Yao, the daytime patron, stays the night
Chapter 57. Honeyed words pacify a jealous wife, and persistent questions reveal a story of adultery
Chapter 58. Young Mr. Li throws away his entire fortune, and Third Sister Chu excels at preposterous lies
Chapter 59. Second Sister employs an old ruse to filch important documents, and Jade Wenjun begs for a poem to boost her fame
Chapter 60. An old man gets an opium addict for a wife, and the keeper-turned-thief performs a vanishing act
Chapter 61. An amateur archer shows superb marksmanship, and a clever servant labors over poetic composition
Chapter 62. Simplicity Zhao’s affair with the servant girl is exposed, and Twin Jade overhears gossip about “wives”
Chapter 63. Contributions are pooled to facilitate a good match, and wise plans are made to redirect Twin Jade’s feelings
Chapter 64. Anger makes Second Treasure pawn her bracelet, and a kick in her chest causes internal injuries
Afterword
The World of the Shanghai Courtesans
Series List
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