After the eightieth chapter, the splendor begins to fade, and autumn withers in the Grand View Garden. Yingchun returns to her family and tearfully recounts the abuse she suffered at the Sun household, revealing the tragic fate of a beautiful woman. Daiyu grows gravely ill and weeps blood by her autumn window; the old pledge between the wood and stone becomes no more than flowers reflected in water and the moon in a mirror. Baochai sits cold and alone in Hengwu Court as the golden-and-jade match is quietly arranged, only for it all to end in empty joy. Jia She is corrupt, Jia Zhen debauched, and Wang Xifeng loses her strength and influence; troubles multiply in the Ning and Rong mansions. Consort Yuanchun falls out of favor, Tanchun marries far away, and the beauties gradually disperse, until the garden's brocade splendor is reduced to broken walls and rubble. The Embroidered Uniform Guards surround the mansion, the evidence of guilt laid bare, and the once-glorious Jia household collapses overnight. Baoyu cannot let go of his obsession, while Daiyu weeps herself to death. In the end, he lets go at the edge of a cliff and retreats from the world into monastic life. The Twelve Beauties of Jinling each meet their appointed fate, their destinies made plain in the Register of Love. All that remains is the fading dream of the Red Chamber, bearing witness that every grand feast must end, leaving only a vast, empty land.
