邢夫人将房内人都遣出去，悄向凤姐道："叫你来，不为别的，有一件为难的事，老爷托我，我不得主意，先和你商议。
Lady Xing sent her maids away then confided to Xifeng, “The Elder Master has given me a difficult task, and I am at a loss, so I want your advice as to how to handle it.
老爷因看上了老太太的鸳鸯，要他作房里的人，叫我和老太太讨去。
He has taken a fancy to Lady Jia's maid Faithful and wants her for his concubine; and he has given me the job of asking Lady Jia for her.
我想这倒平常有的事，只是怕 老太太不给，你可有法子?"
I know this is quite commonly done, but I'm afraid the old lady may not agree.
What would you advise me to do?”
老太太离了鸳鸯，饭也吃不下去的，那里就舍得了？
“The old lady can't even eat without Yuanyang; how could she part with her?
况且平日说起闲话来，老太太常说，老爷如今上了年纪，作什么左一个小老篓右；个小老婆放在屋里，没的耽误了人家。
In any case, she's often remarked, in private conversation about Father, that she can't understand why at his age he continues to surround himself with young girls―“wasting their young lives” she calls it.
头宗，耽误了人家的女孩儿，二则放着身子不保养，官儿也不好生做，成日和小老婆喝酒。’
She says it's not good for his health, and that he ought to save up his energies for his job and not fritter them away on “drinking all day with his fancy women”.
太太听这话，很喜欢老爷呢?这会子回避还恐回避不及，倒拿草棍儿戳老虎的鼻子眼儿去了！
You can judge from that, madam, that she's not particularly partial to the Elder Master.
He'd do better to try to avoid offending her further instead of ‘tickling the tiger's nose with a straw.
太太别恼，我是不敢去的。
Please don't be annoyed, madam, but I haven't the courage to approach her.
老爷如今上了年纪，行事不免有点儿背晦，太太劝劝才是。
The Elder Master's behaviour is rather unbecoming for a gentleman getting on in years; you should talk him out of it.
比不得年轻，做这些事无碍，如今兄弟、侄儿、儿子、孙子一大群，还这么闹起来，怎么见人呢。”
This sort of thing is all very well in a younger man, but in someone of Father's years, with children and grandchildren of his own, it is really too shaming I'
邢夫人冷笑道:"大家子三房四妾的也多，偏咱们就使不得?
“Other noble families often have three or four concubines, so why shouldn't we?” retorted Lady Xing coldly.
就是老太太心爱的丫头，这么胡子苍白了又作了官的一个大儿子，要了作房里的人，也未必好驳回的。
Even if Yuanyang is the old lady's favourite maid, when her elder son, a grey-bearded official wants her for his concubine his mother can hardly refuse him.
我叫了你来，不过商议商议，你先派上了一篇不是。
I invited you over simply to ask your opinion, but at once you trot out all these reasons against it.
你倒说我不劝，你还不知道那性子的，劝不成，先和 我恼了。”
You blame me for not dissuading him, but surely you know your father-in-law better than that.
He'd ignore my advice and fly into a temper.”
凤姐知道邢夫人禀性愚弱，只知奉承贾赦以自保，次则婪取财货为自得，家下一应大小事务俱由贾赦摆布。
Xi-feng knew that her mother-in-law was a weak and silly woman, always willing, for the sake of a quiet life, to fall in with her husband's wishes.
Apart from pleasing her husband, her principal aim in life was to see how much she could squeeze out of the domestic economy and diver into her personal savings.
Decisions both great and small she left to him;
凡出人银钱，一经他手，便克啬异常，以贾赦浪费为名，"须得我就中俭省，方可偿补"，儿女奴仆，一人不靠，一言不听的。
but all household monies passed through her hands, and she saw to it that they suffered a considerable diminution in the process.
The reason she gave for this pillage was Jia She's extravagance. ‘I have to economize,' she would say, ‘to make up for what Sir She wastes.”
想来父母跟前，别说一个丫头，就是那么大的一个活宝贝，不给老爷给谁?
After all, she's his mother and would surely never refuse him the rarest treasure, not to say a maid.
Whom else would she give her to if not the Elder Master?”
琏二爷或有日得了不是，老爷、太太恨的那样，恨不得立刻拿来一下子打死；及至见了面，也就罢了，依旧拿着老爷、太 太心爱的东西赏他。
Even in Lian's case, for instance, the master and you may threaten to beat him to death when he displeases you, but the moment you see him your anger melts away and you still give him things you treasure.
如今老太太待老爷，自然也是那样了。
I've no doubt that in this case it will turn out in exactly the same sort of way with Grandma and Father.
依我说，老太太今儿喜欢，要讨，今儿就过去。
As she's in high spirits today, it seems to me now's the time to make this request.
我先过去哄着老太太，等太太过去了，我搭讪着走开，把屋子里的人我也带开，太太好和老太太说，给了更好，不给也没妨碍，众人也不能知道。”
Let me go over first to keep her sweet for you.
I'll find some excuse for leaving and taking the others with me when you arrive.
That will give you a good opportunity for raising this matter.
If she says yes, that will, of course, be splendid.
But even if she doesn't, no great harm will have been done, because no one else will know about it.”
说的给，更好；不给，也没妨碍，众人也不得知道。”
If she agrees, so much the better.
If she doesn't, no harm will be done as no one else will know.”
邢夫人见他这般说，便又喜欢起来，又告诉他道:"我的主意，先不和老太太要。
Mollified by this, Lady Xing told her, “My idea was not to approach the old lady first,
若老太太说不给，这事便死了。
for if she refused that would be the end of the matter.