Chapters 5 & 6 Summary

Grandmother Jia and family are invited to a flower viewing party at the Ning Mansion. During the party Bao-yu becomes tired and Jia Qin-shi settles the young boy in her room for a nap. While sleeping in Qin-shi's room, Bao-yu dreams of the fairy Disenchantment. While there Bao-yu is infused with lust. He also visits the Department of the Ill-Fated Fair where he is allowed to look at the three registers of the most beautiful girls in his home town of Jinling. Bao-yu, however, is unable to understand the pictures and riddles in the books and Disenchantment leads him away.

Bao-yu and Disenchantment meet with a host of other fairies. Disenchantment explains to the fairies that although she had intended to bring Dai-yu, she had been asked by the Duke of Ning-guo and the brother of the Duke of Ring-guo if she would...