Speak of the Red Chamber - Red Studies Experts Unveil the Dream of the Red Chamber

Author: Hu Shi, Yu Pingbo / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: The place where Qin Keqing meets her fate is called Tianxiang Lou. What is Tianxiang? Every word of Cao Xueqin is meticulously crafted, not idle chatter. Tianxiang has two meanings, both related to flowers and plants. One describes peonies, called "National Beauty, Heavenly Fragrance," and is revered to an extreme. But I will not dwell on the peonies any further. The other describes osmanthus, and I will elaborate on it—because it is too important to Dream of the Red Chamber. According to Meng Chai's Bi Shu Poem, the Tang Dynasty poet Song Zhiyuan wrote a poem about Lingyin Temple in West Lake, with one couplet: "Osmanthus falls in the moonlight, Heavenly Fragrance drifts beyond the clouds." This is the origin of Tianxiang (unrelated to "National Beauty") referring to osmanthus. Another example is from the Song Dynasty poet Yu Chou's Zunbai Tang Ji, where he wrote: "Lotus weeps in the dew at the slope, Osmanthus scents the moon below." Clearly, this is also an adaptation of Song Zhiyuan's original line. These two examples prove: Osmanthus is called Tianxiang because it comes from the moon, making it a celestial flower, superior to ordinary ones. The moon goddess Chang'e and the osmanthus tree are widely known among the people. However, this Tianxiang tree has a man named Wu Gang, who holds a giant axe and chops it every day. Chang'e herself is a tragedy, and so is her precious osmanthus tree. From this, we can infer: Qin Keqing comes from the "Heaven," not an ordinary mortal family. Her temperament is fragrant like osmanthus, and her appearance is as pure as the moon. Why did she hang herself? It was certainly not the nonsense of "meeting her father-in-law Jia Zhen in secret." Qin Keqing's original identity was the granddaughter of Yin Ren and the daughter of Hong Xi, who hid her true name due to the political turmoil of her grandfather and father. She was raised by Qin Ye, a "Yingshan Lang" (a middle-ranking official in the Imperial Construction Department). A Yingshan Lang is a middle-ranking official or assistant in the Imperial Construction Bureau. This family could not raise her and handed her over to the "Jia (Cao) family." This "hidden truth" was one of the charges against the Cao family during their second confiscation. This was far too significant, so Cao Xueqin eventually deleted all the real details of her death and found another way to "write" about her. P257 This "method" includes narrating about Keqing through Xiangling. Xiangling's name is deliberately chosen with the character "Xiang" (fragrance); her original name is Yinglian (meaning "to pity"), the beloved daughter of Zhen Shiyin (meaning "true events hidden"). Unfortunately, she fell into misfortune (Hu Qi) during the Lantern Festival (a full-moon festival at the beginning of the new year) and became a slave. Xiangling looks extremely like Keqing—this is another of Cao Xueqin's "subtle twists." When Zhou Rui's wife delivers palace flowers, she encounters Xiangling for the first time, and there is a detailed description: Zhou Rui's wife asks (Jin Chuan): "That little girl Xiangling, is she the one they say was bought before coming to the capital and got into a murder case?" Jin Chuan replies: "Exactly." Just then, Xiangling walks over smiling. Zhou Rui's wife grabs her hand, looks at her closely, and then laughs to Jin Chuan: "What a lovely appearance! She looks quite like the character of Rong Grandmother in the East Mansion." Jin Chuan laughs back: "I said the same thing." This connects Keqing and Xiangling. Zhou Rui's wife's sympathy and pity for Xiangling reflect the feelings and attitudes of the people in Ning and Rong Mansions toward Keqing. How does delivering palace flowers suddenly have anything to do with Keqing? It seems inexplicable. But it was actually instructed by Grandmother Xue, who had the flowers taken from Xiangling's hands and given to Fengjie, who then ordered them to be distributed to Keqing. Everything seems extremely natural. Yet Cao Xueqin's meticulous weaving of details is beyond most people's understanding, and this is evident here. The "purpose" of delivering palace flowers is many, such as the courtyard route, various foreshadowings (Xichun saying "becoming a nun"), Daiyu's personality (being the last choice), and so on (a perfect example of "using one stroke for multiple purposes"), but Keqing is indeed a key figure, which is even harder to discern. The title poem for this chapter is:
"Twelve flower faces, new in hue,
Who will cherish them? None but you?
If you ask her name, she is Xiangling,
From Jiangnan, her family name is Qin."
This serves as proof. This chapter follows the "dream journey" and is immediately followed by Liu Laolao's first visit to Rongguo Mansion. Laolao is a crucial figure in saving Qiao'er, far from being "trivial." Yet Xiangling and Keqing "appear" at this moment, with such distant foreshadowing—how extraordinary!
Returning to the main point from "Tianxiang": Keqing was originally an "unfortunate person from the heavens" (the imperial family) who fell into hardship. She shared a deep bond with Fengjie, both "beauty and heroines," equally concerned about the family's fate, truly understanding each other and disregarding men. Her character is "completely beautiful," and Baoyu deeply admires her. Keqing's death was certainly not "sexual debauchery"—that was a smokescreen or deliberate slander. At that time, the ruling powers had likely received secret intelligence about her true identity, realizing she was a hidden descendant of Yin Ren and Hong Xi, dangerous political opponents, and a source of trouble. They would not tolerate her existence. Keqing, with her open mind and sharp insights, understood everything. She did not want her own actions to bring ruin upon the two families, so she took her own life first, finding peace in doing so. Only Jia Zhen and others understood this, which is why their grief was so profound. Words can be powerful. Jia Zhen, who had already acted unscrupulously, was "grasped" by his enemies and used as the basis for rumors. "A moment of joy turned to sorrow," and soon, "the family perished, and people scattered in chaos." This was a great tragedy, and a great injustice. The poem goes:
"Tianxiang osmanthus blooms in the moon,
Xiangling's tale of the moon is pitiful.
True events are like a dream,
Who sends flowers to the palace now?"