The volume opens with the disappearance of a gold bracelet and the ripple effects that follow. Li Ping'er (李瓶儿) loses the bracelet. Pan Jinlian (潘金莲) gleefully accuses the household of negligence. Ximen Qing (西门庆) explains that the bracelet accompanied repaid money and was briefly given to a child. Wu Yueniang (吴月娘) urges a calm search and the family soon shifts to a public celebration. They go to the lantern festivities on Lion Street and hold an elaborate banquet. Ying Bojue (应伯爵) slips aside and spies in the back rooms. He sees a strikingly dressed woman named Wang Liu (王六). He assumes she is a private favorite and returns amused. At the same time two singing girls, Dong Jiao'er (董娇儿) and Han Yuchuan (韩玉钏), are summoned to entertain the guests. Meanwhile Wu Yueniang arranges for temple teachers to deliver sermons for the women. One teacher mentions a talismanic pregnancy remedy that requires burning a child's garment as an ingredient. Wu Yueniang recoils at the suggestion. The commentator Zhang Zhupo (张竹坡) condemns the proposal as cruel and unworthy. The next day Qiao Wutaitai (乔五太太) arrives in great splendor to see the infant. The household is proud and ceremonial. Later the bracelet is found under a stable trough. Xia Hua (夏花) is discovered hiding and a search produces the missing piece. Ximen Qing orders interrogation and the maid is beaten and threatened with sale. Li Jiao'er (李娇儿) is ashamed and Li Guijie (李桂姐) pleads for clemency. In parallel Li Zhi (李智) and Huang Si (黄四) seek capital for trade. Ying Bojue brokers the deal and demands rewards. He arranges to combine bracelets and money and extracts more silver from Ximen Qing. Domestic tensions continue. Xiao Yu (小玉) feels slighted when not invited to a drinking party. A spilled ash soils Chunmei's (春梅) clothing and causes a quarrel. Snowfall sends servants scrambling for furs. Dai An (玳安) and Xiao Yu find privacy and a secret warmth develops amid the chaos. The episodes weave festive gaiety with greed and power. They show how social ritual, monetary transactions and private affections collide in a household that is outwardly merry yet inwardly fraught. FREE transcripts of the audio files are available for download at: https://www.truelake.com/qrpages/pingshufreedownloads/

本卷围绕一连串宴饮丑事与闺阁纷争展开。起因是一只金镯遗失，李瓶儿房中失物引出潘金莲的指责与西门庆的干预。众人一时搜寻不得，遂转为观灯饮宴以化解尴尬。宴席间，应伯爵窥见后院一位打扮大胆的少妇王六，私下猜测隐秘欢好。席上又请来说法的师徒讲经，提及以童衣为药引的安胎秘术，引起吴月娘的反驳与张竹坡的指斥。次日乔五太太携华饰来贺生子，行礼热闹。随后金镯在后厢槽底被寻回，夏花被定为窃盗受刑，遭拷问与责打，吴月娘决定次日卖掉。李桂姐出面求情，揭示人在权势面前的情感与迁就。与此同时，李智与黄四为买卖筹资，应伯爵居中撮合并索取巨额回报，钱财往来暴露世故。府中丫鬟因邀赏被排斥，互有怨恨。小玉因未被邀请心生怨愤，春梅衣物被炭灰弄污而起争执。风雪夜取皮袄的繁忙差事，使小琴童被反复差遣受冻抱怨。玳安与小玉借机相会，情愫暗生。全卷在盛宴的繁华与日常琐碎中交织出虚荣、权谋、怜悯与冷酷的多重面貌。故事既呈现社交应酬的热闹场景，也揭露权钱交易与人情冷暖下的算计与无奈。 音频文件的字幕稿可在以下网址免费下载： https://www.truelake.com/qrpages/pingshufreedownloads/