且說碧蟾素日原與家人進寶有染，今將他鎖禁在後花園空房，不但不能挨餓，反倒遂了二人私欲。他二人卻暗暗商量計策。碧蟾說：「員外與安人雖則住在上房，卻是分寢，員外在東間，安人在西間。莫若你夤夜持刀，將員外殺死，就說安人懷恨，將員外謀害。告到當官，那時安人與員外抵了命。我掌了家園，咱們二人一生快樂不盡。強如我為妾，你是奴呢。」說的進寶心活，半夜裡持刀來殺秦昌。
且说碧蟾素日原与家人进宝有染，今将他锁禁在后花园空房，不但不能挨饿，反倒遂了二人私欲。他二人却暗暗商量计策。碧蟾说：「员外与安人虽则住在上房，却是分寝，员外在东间，安人在西间。莫若你夤夜持刀，将员外杀死，就说安人怀恨，将员外谋害。告到当官，那时安人与员外抵了命。我掌了家园，咱们二人一生快乐不尽。强如我为妾，你是奴呢。」说的进宝心活，半夜里持刀来杀秦昌。
Now, Bichan had long been carrying on with the servant Jinbao, so locking her up in the empty rooms in the back garden, far from starving her, gave the two of them just what they wanted. Between them they secretly laid a plan. “The master and the mistress may both live in the main house,” said Bichan, “but they sleep apart: the master in the east room, the mistress in the west. Your best course is to take a knife in the dead of night and kill the master, and then say the mistress murdered him out of spite. Once it goes before the magistrate, the mistress will pay for the master with her life. I’ll take charge of the household, and the two of us will be happy for the rest of our days. It beats me being a concubine and you a slave.” Her words won Jinbao over, and in the middle of the night he came with a knife to kill Qin Chang.
且說員外自那日錯罵了安人，至今靜中一想，原是自己莽撞。如今既將碧蟾鎖禁，安人前如何不陪罪呢。到了夜靜更深，自己持燈來至西間。見鄭氏剛然歇下，他便進去。彩鳳見員外來了，不便在跟前，只得溜出來。他卻進了東間，摸了摸臥具，鋪設停當，暗自想道：「姨奶奶碧蟾，他從前原與我一樣是丫頭。員外揀了他，收作二房。我曾擬陪一次。如今碧蟾既被員外鎖禁，此缺已出，不消說了，理應是我坐補，」妄想得缺，不覺神魂迷亂，一歪身躺在員外枕上，竟自睡去。他卻那裡知道進寶持刀前來，輕輕的撬門而入，黑暗之中，摸著脖項，狠命一刀。可憐，一個即要補缺的彩鳳，竟被惡奴殺死。
且说员外自那日错骂了安人，至今静中一想，原是自己莽撞。如今既将碧蟾锁禁，安人前如何不陪罪呢。到了夜静更深，自己持灯来至西间。见郑氏刚然歇下，他便进去。彩凤见员外来了，不便在跟前，只得溜出来。他却进了东间，摸了摸卧具，铺设停当，暗自想道：「姨奶奶碧蟾，他从前原与我一样是丫头。员外拣了他，收作二房。我曾拟陪一次。如今碧蟾既被员外锁禁，此缺已出，不消说了，理应是我坐补，」妄想得缺，不觉神魂迷乱，一歪身躺在员外枕上，竟自睡去。他却那里知道进宝持刀前来，轻轻的撬门而入，黑暗之中，摸着脖项，狠命一刀。可怜，一个即要补缺的彩凤，竟被恶奴杀死。
Meanwhile, ever since the day he had wrongly cursed Madam Zheng, the squire had been thinking it over quietly, and now he saw that he had been rash. Since he had locked Bichan up, how could he not go and make his apologies to his wife? When the night was still and late, he took a lamp and went to the west room himself. Madam Zheng had just gone to bed, and he went in. Seeing the squire come, Caifeng could hardly stay at hand, and she slipped out. She went into the east room instead, felt the bedding, straightened it all out, and thought to herself: “The junior mistress, Bichan, was a maid just like me once. The master picked her out and took her as his second wife, and I was the runner-up for the post. Now that the master has locked Bichan up, the post is vacant — it goes without saying I’m the one to fill it.” Lost in dreams of the post, she grew dizzy and dazed before she knew it, toppled sideways onto the squire’s pillow and fell fast asleep. Little did she know that Jinbao was coming with his knife. He pried the door softly open and slipped in, felt in the dark for the neck, and struck with all his might. Alas! Caifeng, so soon to fill her vacancy, was murdered by a wicked servant.
進寶以為得意，回到本屋之中，見一身的血跡，剛然脫下要換。只聽員外那裡，一疊連聲叫「進寶」。進寶聽了，吃驚不小，方知員外未死。一壁答應，一壁穿衣，來到上房。只因員外由西間陪罪回來，見彩鳳已被殺在臥具之上，故此連連呼喚。見了進寶，便告訴他彩鳳被殺一節。進寶方知把彩鳳誤殺了。此時安人已知，連忙起來，大家商議。鄭氏道：「事已如此，莫若將彩鳳之母馬氏喚進，告訴他。多多給他銀兩，將他女兒好好殯殮就是了。」秦昌並無主意，立刻叫進寶告訴馬氏去。誰知進寶見了馬氏就挑唆，說他女兒是秦昌因奸不遂憤怒殺死的，叫馬氏連夜到仁和縣報官。
进宝以为得意，回到本屋之中，见一身的血迹，刚然脱下要换。只听员外那里，一叠连声叫「进宝」。进宝听了，吃惊不小，方知员外未死。一壁答应，一壁穿衣，来到上房。只因员外由西间陪罪回来，见彩凤已被杀在卧具之上，故此连连呼唤。见了进宝，便告诉他彩凤被杀一节。进宝方知把彩凤误杀了。此时安人已知，连忙起来，大家商议。郑氏道：「事已如此，莫若将彩凤之母马氏唤进，告诉他。多多给他银两，将他女儿好好殡殓就是了。」秦昌并无主意，立刻叫进宝告诉马氏去。谁知进宝见了马氏就挑唆，说他女儿是秦昌因奸不遂愤怒杀死的，叫马氏连夜到仁和县报官。
Jinbao, thinking he had pulled it off, went back to his own room. Finding himself covered in blood, he had just taken his clothes off to change when he heard the squire calling “Jinbao!” over and over. Jinbao got a nasty shock: only now did he learn that the squire was not dead. Answering as he dressed, he came to the main house. The squire had come back from making his apologies in the west room to find Caifeng murdered on his bed, and so he was shouting for him. When he saw Jinbao, he told him how Caifeng had been killed. Only then did Jinbao learn that it was Caifeng he had killed by mistake. By now Madam Zheng knew of it too. She got up at once, and they all talked it over. “Since it has come to this,” said Madam Zheng, “we had best call in Caifeng’s mother, Madam Ma, and tell her. Give her plenty of silver and see her daughter properly buried, and that will be the end of it.” Qin Chang had no ideas of his own, and he sent Jinbao at once to tell Madam Ma. But when Jinbao saw Madam Ma, he set about stirring her up. Her daughter, he said, had been killed by Qin Chang in a rage when she would not give in to him, and he told Madam Ma to go to Renhe County that very night and report it.