The Twelve Beauties of Jinling – Qin Keqing

　　Amidst the vast sea of love and illusion, where love inevitably leads to lust.
　　Don't claim all the unworthy are born into the Rong family; the true instigator of trouble lies in the Ning family.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 — Prophecy.
　　In *Dream of the Red Chamber*, Qin Keqing's life is tragic. Abandoned at birth, she was later adopted into a poor family. She married into the Jia family but died young from illness… The mystery of Qin Keqing has always been a subject of intense study in *Dream of the Red Chamber* scholarship. Her origins are particularly perplexing; her funeral was exceptionally grand, completely unlike her humble beginnings.
　　Qin Keqing came from the Pure Land of the Immortals, the younger sister of the Fairy Disenchantment, the mistress of the Land of Illusion. Her childhood name was Jianmei, and her courtesy name was Keqing. In the Palace of Disenchantment, she was originally the head of the Amorous Palace, in charge of matters of love and romance. By order of Disenchantment, she descended to the mortal world as the first lover, guiding the Twelve Beauties of Jinling back to the Land of Illusion early.
　　Compared to Daiyu and Xiangyun, Qin Keqing's background was even more tragic. Abandoned by her birth parents at birth, she was placed in an orphanage. Fortunately, Qin Ye, a penniless official, took her and another baby boy home to raise. The boy died young, leaving her alone. Later, her adoptive father, Qin Ye, had a son, Qin Zhong, in his old age, giving her a younger brother. Because Qin Ye had some connections with the Jia family, Qin Keqing married Jia Rong.
　　However, the real Qin Keqing, based on a historical figure, was not only of noble birth, but also held a higher social status than the Jia family.
　　Throughout the book, Qin Keqing did only two things: first, when Baoyu traveled to the Land of Illusion, she betrothed him to the Fairy of Illusion as his sister; second, before her death, she entrusted a final "wish" to Fengjie in a dream—a philosophy of prosperity and decline, outlining specific strategies for maintaining a "safety net" for the Jia family. This also revealed certain "heavenly secrets." All these actions were performed in someone else's dream, making her seem like a mere illusory character. However, in Chapter Five, when Baoyu travels to the Land of Illusion, the Fairy Disenchantment tells him that her sister, Qin Keqing, is a visitor from the celestial realm.
Is she an adopted person from the "lower class" or a visitor from the "celestial realm"? This question is a focal point of debate in contemporary "Redology" (the study of *Dream of the Red Chamber*).
　　Liu Xinwu argues that considering the marriage arrangements of various members of the Jia family, the claim that Qin Keqing was adopted is clearly untenable. Marriages among the four great families of Jinling were governed by strict rules, with matching social status being the primary prerequisite. Jia Rong, as the heir to the title, would not have violated the Jia family's social hierarchy by marrying an adopted wife. Furthermore, Grandmother Jia repeatedly referred to Qin Keqing as her "most beloved great-granddaughter-in-law." Therefore, he believes that the claim that Qin Keqing was adopted is merely a smokescreen. Judging from various indications, Qin Keqing's status within the Jia family was higher than that of the Jia family members, suggesting she was not from an ordinary family.
　　Furthermore, the decoration of Qin Keqing's bedroom, her grandeur, the attitudes of everyone in the Jia family, including Grandmother Jia, Wang Xifeng, Jia Zhen, and Jia Zhen's wife You Shi, towards Qin Keqing, and Qin Keqing's dream prophecy to Wang Xifeng that "after the three springs, all the flowers will fade, and each must seek their own door," all these signs imply that Qin Keqing's status was extraordinary. The coffin she slept in after her death and her incredibly luxurious funeral further reveal her true identity. Her prototype was the daughter of Yinreng, the Crown Prince who was twice deposed and reinstated during the Kangxi era. To escape imprisonment, she secretly sought refuge with the Cao family.
　　 Specifically, firstly, in the novel, Qin Keqing's father, "Qin Ye," is merely a homophone for "love's misfortune," a skillful artistic technique employed by Cao Xueqin. This is because in the ancient version of *Dream of the Red Chamber*, Zhiyan Zhai provides very clear commentary on the name "Qin Ye" in his annotations. What did Zhiyan Zhai comment on? He said, "A wonderful name, 'Ye' means 'karma' or 'misfortune'." As we know, in traditional Chinese characters, the characters for "karma" and "misfortune" are interchangeable. Saying "karmic obstacles" and "misfortune obstacles" means the same thing. Qin Ye, "Qin" is a homophone for "emotion," so "Ye" is a homophone for "misfortune," meaning that sin is caused by emotions. His name is meaningful.
　　 Secondly, the book focuses on describing Qin Keqing's bedroom. Baoyu, "as soon as he reached the door, a delicate, sweet fragrance wafted towards him… Upon entering the room and looking at the wall, he saw Tang Bohu's painting 'Sleeping Beauty Under the Begonia,' and on either side were a couplet written by the Song scholar Qin Taixu… On the table was the precious mirror that Empress Wu Zetian had used in her mirror room, and beside it was a golden plate on which Fei Yan had stood, containing the papaya that An Lushan had thrown, injuring Yang Guifei's breast. Above it was the couch where Princess Shouchang had slept in the Hanzhang Palace, and hanging from it was a beaded curtain made by Princess Tongchang." Reading this passage, I was both surprised and puzzled: how noble must the original owners of these things in her room have been! Yet, how could Qin Keqing possess them? Qin Keqing, who are you? Why are you so extravagant?
　　Thirdly, it is worth mentioning Qin Keqing's lavish funeral. Qin Keqing's funeral was extremely extravagant; her body lay in state for forty-nine days, and the streets of Ningguo Mansion were filled with white mourning clothes, bustling with people and officials. When inspecting the planks, Jia Zhen was dissatisfied with several fir planks, but finally bought a plank from Xue's timber shop. It came from the Iron Net Mountain in Huanghai and was originally intended for Prince Yizhong. Jia Zheng advised that Qin Keqing, given her status, was unworthy to use such a plank, but Jia Zhen refused to listen. To make the funeral more impressive, Jia Zhen also bribed Dai Quan, a favorite of the imperial court, to secure Jia Rong a position as a Dragon Guard, and specially invited Feng Jie to assist. Furthermore, the Six Dukes, the Four Princes, and other prominent figures of the court attended the funeral. After the burial, the spirit was temporarily placed in the Jia family's ancestral temple, the Iron Threshold Temple.
　　 A lonely heart needs attention to comfort it; I need attention, because attention brings us closer.