Chapter 15: The Twelve Beauties of Jinling

After a moment of thought, Chu Yan asked, “Have you ever seen a monk with a scaly head and a crippled Taoist?”

In the Dream of the Red Chamber, there are immortals.

The greatest immortal to appear is the Fairy of Warning Illusions, who dwells in the illusory realm of Heaven of Regrets. The book says she “governs the debts of passion and longing among mortals, overseeing the grievances of women and the infatuations of men in the mortal world.”

Lin Daiyu, Jia Baoyu, Xue Baochai, and Jia Yuanchun are all celestial beings reincarnated on earth, sent to resolve the karmic debts of their infatuation.

However,

Chu Yan had been in this world for thirteen years and had seen neither immortals nor any extraordinary powers.

Jia Lian pondered carefully, then shook his head. “I have seen many Taoists and monks, but never a scaly-headed or crippled one!”

“Oh.”

Chu Yan looked at him and suddenly smiled.

Jia Lian felt uneasy, unsure why the Prince was laughing.

“Have Jia Baoyu and your wife ever fallen ill on the same day?” Chu Yan asked again.

Jia Lian grew more confused; the Prince’s questions were as perplexing as a gazelle with horns.

“What illness do you mean, Your Highness?” Jia Lian attempted to clarify. “If it’s just common headaches or colds, perhaps they have been sick on the same day.”

Chu Yan replied, “I mean an illness like being possessed by an evil spirit, where one grabs a knife and attacks people.”

“There has never been such an incident in the household!”

Jia Lian answered firmly.

Chu Yan nodded slightly, then chatted with him a while longer. He learned that inside the Grand View Garden there was the Green Window Nunnery, where Miaoyu resided, and the Pear Fragrance Courtyard, home to twelve young actors.

He did not inquire about the other maids—Qingwen, Zijuan, Ping’er, Yuanyang, Xiaohong, and so forth.

He knew that while he could use Leng Zixing as an excuse to learn about the Jia family’s inner affairs, probing into who served in whose chambers or other such details could easily become complicated.

Even Jia Lian did not have complete knowledge of such trivial matters. For example, the Dream of the Red Chamber mentions that Lin Xiaohong is Jia Baoyu’s maid, yet Jia Baoyu himself doesn’t recognize her.

“Leng Zixing mentioned that the Ning household’s family conduct is rather poor—there are those who engage in illicit affairs and others who support their younger brothers-in-law.”

Chu Yan shifted the topic to the Ning household.

Jia Lian immediately grew anxious. “Your Highness, our Jia family may not be an illustrious clan of poets and scholars, but we are dukes of the current dynasty and maintain strict family discipline. There would be no such disgraceful behavior as illicit affairs! If any occurred, it must have been servants’ misdeeds, undiscovered by Elder Brother Zhen.”

Chu Yan smiled. “The one you call Elder Brother Zhen is exactly the one involved in those affairs, according to Leng Zixing. This is not my accusation but his.”

By blaming everything on Leng Zixing, they likely wouldn’t dare confront him later.

“What?!” Jia Lian was stunned, having been cautious and deferential before, he finally looked up at Chu Yan.

After a long pause, he forced an awkward smile. “May I ask, Your Highness, what is Leng Zixing’s background? I was unaware of such matters... In my experience, Elder Brother Zhen is a fine man, filial to his father, strict with his servants, and has no ill reputation with his daughter-in-law... Lady Rong is also gentle and kind; the Grandmother once said she was the best among her great-granddaughters-in-law. Perhaps there has been some misunderstanding.”

Chu Yan frowned and asked, “I heard that Qin Keqing, Jia Rong’s wife, has a younger brother named Qin Zhong?”

Though he seemed to ask about Qin Zhong, he was actually inquiring about Qin Keqing’s current situation.

According to the Dream of the Red Chamber, Qin Keqing died before the Grand View Garden was completed, but Jia Lian’s words implied she might still be alive.

Sure enough, Jia Lian spoke about the Qin family, leading Chu Yan to conclude that Qin Keqing was indeed alive.

“Seems Leng Zixing is talking nonsense,” Chu Yan sneered. “When I meet him, I shall have a word.”

Jia Lian felt relieved. Good, that scoundrel Leng Zixing had been making baseless claims and deserved punishment!

Looking at him twice, Chu Yan smiled. “Several years ago, did you accompany your cousin Lin Daiyu to Yangzhou to handle her father’s affairs?”

Jia Lian immediately became embarrassed, shaking his head vaguely. “That never happened. I heard her uncle died in Yangzhou.”

His choice of words “heard” made Chu Yan understand immediately. “Seems this is also related to me.”

Jia Lian hurriedly explained, “Miss Lin lost her mother early. The Grandmother worried she had no one at home to guide her, so she sent someone to bring her to the capital. She has lived at my house for seven or eight years and has never left the capital.”

He dared not say more for fear of displeasing the Prince.

“What is Lin Daiyu’s temperament like?”

Though sounding casual, Chu Yan’s entire conversation was aimed at judging whether this world had immortals and at learning about Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai, and others.

He had led troops into the capital and become emperor, wielding the power of life and death over former officials. If he favored someone, a single edict was enough.

Most would bow to his authority, flatter him, and even offer their beautiful daughters or nieces, or seek beauties from the common folk to present to him.

Chu Yan had witnessed many such things during his rebellion.

But the girls of the Grand View Garden were different, especially the crown jewel among the Twelve Beauties of Jinling—the Scarlet Pearl Fairy, Lin Daiyu.

The book says her ultimate fate was to “hang like a jade belt in the forest”—in other words, she hanged herself.

If Chu Yan ordered Jia family to hand over Lin Daiyu directly, she would likely have taken her own life that very night in the Xiao Xiang Pavilion.

“Better to keep the beautiful bones in a silk pouch and cover the talent with a handful of pure earth. Born pure, she returns pure, stronger than being mired in filth and ditches.”

Lin Daiyu had a proud spirit.

For others, Chu Yan could decree their entry into the palace, but with Lin Daiyu, he needed to proceed cautiously.

Moreover, Chu Yan was somewhat greedy—he wanted not only their bodies but their hearts.

The whole realm would soon be his; women of the land would be his to choose from.

But the more elusive the prize, the more interested Chu Yan became.

“Miss Lin’s temperament...”

Jia Lian recalled and smiled wryly. “My sister lost her parents young. Though the Grandmother treats her like a granddaughter, and I as her elder brother love her dearly, she remains an outsider. She often feels melancholic with the seasons and has a temper, frequently quarreling with Baoyu.”

Chu Yan asked, “So they are betrothed?”

Jia Lian shook his head. “I dare not hide this from Your Highness. My wife says they have affection for each other, and if the Grandmother decides, Baoyu will marry Miss Lin. But the lady seems reluctant...”

Chu Yan asked more questions, confirming that this Lin Daiyu in the capital resembled the character from the Dream of the Red Chamber in temperament.

“I heard that Xue Pan of the Xue family killed someone in Jinling? Is that true?”

Chu Yan changed the subject again.

Jia Lian’s heart skipped. Could it be that someone from that family was reporting to the Prince?

The case had been closed with the public told that Xue Pan had died, but Jia Lian dared not conceal the truth. Chu Yan knew the Jia, Xue, and Shi families thoroughly; Xue Pan’s faked death was no secret.

“Oh, I see.”

Chu Yan nodded, then asked, “How are Xue Pan’s sister Xue Baochai and Xue Ke’s sister Xue Baoqin in terms of talent and appearance?”

Having asked so many questions about the household affairs, no one would believe he was uninterested in these young ladies.

Therefore, Chu Yan asked directly, focusing on Xue Baochai, who, alongside Lin Daiyu, was renowned. From his knowledge of the two in the Dream of the Red Chamber, one edict from him would ensure the Xue family would not refuse. Neither Xue Baochai nor Xue Baoqin would consider ending their lives over entering the palace.