就有两个女人搀着赵姨娘双膝跪在地下，说一回，哭一回。
When two serving-women tried to lift her up she insisted on kneeling, raving and weeping by turns.
有时爬在地下叫饶说：“打杀我了！
Then she grovelled and began begging for mercy:^-2
眼睛突出，嘴里鲜血直流，头发披散。
Her eyes bulged out of their sockets, blood gushed from her mouth, her hair was wildly dishevelled.
人人害怕，不敢近前。
The attendants were afraid to go near her.
那时又将天晚，赵姨娘的声音只管阴哑起来，居然鬼嚎的一般，无人敢在他跟前，只得叫了几个有胆量的男人进来坐着。
By nightfall her voice was so hoarse that she sounded like a ghost wailing.
The women, not daring to stay with her, called in a few bold men to keep her company.
赵姨娘一时死去，隔了些时又回过来，整整的闹了一夜。
Sometimes she fainted away then after a while came round, keeping up a commotion all night.
到了第二天，也不言语，只装鬼脸，自己拿手撕开衣服，露出胸膛，好象有人剥他的样子。
By the next morning she was incapable of speech, her face was horribly contorted and she began rending her clothes and baring her bosom, as if someone else was stripping her naked.
可怜赵姨娘虽说不出来，其痛苦之状实在难堪。
Though unable to utter a sound, the poor creature's agony was painful to witness.
正在危急，大夫来了。
She seemed to have reached a final crisis, when the doctor arrived.
也不敢诊脉，只嘱咐：“办后事罢。”
He would not take her pulse, but gave orders at once for her last things to be made ready
说了起身就走。
As he rose to leave,
那送大夫的家人再三央告，说：“请老爷看看脉，小的好回禀家主。”
the steward who had brought him pleaded, "Please examine her pulse, sir, so that I can report it to our master."
那大夫用手一摸，已无脉息。
and in the end the doctor relented.
He felt her pulse once, and pronounced that there was no sign of life.
众人只顾贾环，谁管赵姨娘蓬头赤脚死在炕上。
and immediately everyone's attention was turned to him and no one spared another thought for Aunt Zhao, lying dead on the kang, her feet bare, her hair in disarray.
只有周姨娘心里想到：“做偏房的下场头，不过如此！
Only kindly Concubine Zhou thought to herself, "So this is the end of a concubine!
况他还有儿子，我将来死的时候还不知怎样呢。”
‘And she even bore the Master a son.
Who knows what sort of a death mine will be!”
且说那人赶回家去禀知贾政，即派人去照例料理，陪着环儿住了三天，一同回来。
The servant meanwhile hurried back to inform Jia Zheng, who sent a man to attend to Aunt Zhao's funeral arrangements and to stay on with Jia Huan at the temple for three days, after which they were both to return.
那人去了，这里一人传十，十人传百，都知道赵姨娘使了毒心害人，被阴司里拷打死了。
After the steward's return the news spread like wildfire that Concubine Zhao had been tortured to death by the King of Hell because she had plotted murder.
又说是：“琏二奶奶只怕也好不了，怎么说琏二奶奶告的呢？”
A speedy end was also predicted for Xi-feng, since Aunt Zhao had named her as her own accuser in the Nether World.
这些话传到平儿耳内，甚是着急，看着凤姐的样子，实在是不能好的了。
When this last piece of gossip reached the ears of Patience, she was most distressed.Her mistress did indeed seem beyond hope of recovery,
又兼着邢、王二夫人回家几日，只打发人来问问，并不亲身来看，凤姐心里更加悲苦。
but Ladies Xing and Wang, although they had been back from the temple for several days, had neither of them paid her a personal visit, and had only sent a maid to enquire after her health.
Their coldness intensified Xi-feng's misery,
贾琏回来也没有一句贴心的话。
as did the fact that Jia Lian on his return had not so much as a kind word for her.
只见尤二姐从房后走来，渐近床前，说：“姐姐，许久的不见了。
On one occasion she saw the figure of You Er-jie slowly approaching her bed from the back of the room. ‘It is so long since we last met, sister!” said the apparition.
凤姐一时苏醒，想起尤二姐已死，必是他来索命。
Then Xifeng woke up and remembered that Second Sister You was dead and must have come to demand her life.