"The Story of the Stone Code (Hidden History of the Qing Court)"

Author: Su Bangsen, Su Haiying
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: The story of Dream of the Red Chamber (Dream of the Stone Chamber) has been the subject of much debate with no definitive conclusion. The authors examine the geographical layout of Ning and Rong Mansions and the movement routes of characters in the novel, proposing that the setting of Dream of the Red Chamber is the Qing Imperial Palace and its inner courtyard during the reigns of the Kangxi and Shunzhi emperors. They further substantiate this with historical evidence, concluding that the novel depicts the hidden history of the Qing court. The "Jade of Spiritual Communication" is revealed to be the imperial seal of the nation. The "Wildland Rubble Stone" (the original seal) implies that Empress Xiaozhuang is a descendant of the bloodline of the Yuan Emperor. The "Jade of Spiritual Communication" (the Qing Seal) implies that Empress Xiaozhuang is the wife of Emperor Taizong of the Qing. Emperor Shunzhi is the divine messenger of the "Virtual Void Palace" (the Qianqing Palace and the Winter Palace Beihai), representing the Qing dynasty after its conquest of the Central Plains. The "Scarlet Pearl Grass" implies all the revolutionary women in Emperor Shunzhi's harem, with Dong E's Imperial Consort, who died young at the age of 22 ("fragrance and jade perished"), as the foremost example. The Twelve Beauties of Jinling (the main register) implies the seven women in Emperor Shunzhi's harem. The first is Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang (Yuanchun, Qin Keqing, Wang Xifeng). The second is the deposed empress Jingfei (Xue Baochai). The third is the posthumously honored Empress Xiaoxian Duanjing (Lin Daiyu). The fourth is the daughter of Dorgon (Jia Zheng, Jia Lian) and Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang (Wang Furen, Fengjie) (Tanchun and Qiaojie). The fifth is the daughter of Kong Youde and Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's adopted daughter Kong Sizhen (Shi Xiangyun, Miaoyu, and Xichun). The sixth is the fourteenth daughter of Emperor Taizong (Yingchun). The seventh is Empress Tongjia, the mother of Emperor Kangxi (Li Yun). This book examines the geographical layout of Ning and Rong Mansions and the movement routes of characters in the novel, proposing that the setting of Dream of the Red Chamber is the Qing Imperial Palace and its inner courtyard during the reigns of the Kangxi and Shunzhi emperors. They further substantiate this with historical evidence, concluding that the novel depicts the hidden history of the Qing court.