The Jias are no fake—their halls are of white jade, their horses of gold.
The Epang Palace, three hundred leagues long, cannot house a single Shi of Jinling.
The Eastern Sea lacks a white jade bed—the Dragon King must beg the Wangs of Jinling.
In a bumper year, how great the snow—pearls are like dirt, gold like iron.
English titles, text, and notes are AI-assisted for reading only; for scholarship cite the Chinese and authoritative editions.
Annotation
In Chapter 4, the temple attendant shows Jia Yucun the 'Protective Talisman,' listing the power of Jinling's four great families. The Jia, Shi, Wang, and Xue clans are intermarried and deeply intertwined. 'Great snow' puns on 'Xue,' suggesting the Xue family's immense wealth. This talisman exposes the collusion between officialdom and noble houses in feudal society.
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