Jia Family - part 1 - The 12 Beauties

Jia Family - part 1 - History and the 12 Beauties


History (abridged) :

The Jia Family is a small noble family of Chang'an, the capital of the East Empire. His power and his renowned was originally pretty low, but suddendly rose when the Emperor Ling fell in love for the first daughter of the Head of the family and marry her despite her low rank. The family lived in the Red Manor and was renowned for the 12 beautiful ladies living in it. The family was shattered and almost annihilate during Dong Zhuo's coup and their mansion burned to the ground. The head of the family was Jia Zheng and his heir was Jia Baoyu, who will later become the new Emperor under the name Xuanzang.


The 12 Beauties :

Lin Daiyu : She is a young lady and a childhood friend of Jia Baoyu. She has a weakly constitution and is often sick. She loves art and musique, sphere of interest she share with Jia Baoyu who loves ear her sing. She lives in the Mansion because her tutor was Lady Xing. She died pretty young, and Baoyu never really recover from it. By her beauty and her vulnerability, she is often compared to flowers.

Xue Baochai : She is engaged to Jia Baoyu since birth, a traditional custom of the Eastern Empire. She has all the quality of the ideal wife, at that time. She always follow all the rules of the decorum. She never speak too much and is always calm. She possess, from her family, a magic medaillon with a chrysanthemum on it. When Jia Baoyu disappears the night before their wedding, she waits patiently his return. They marry at his return and she become the Empress. They never had any child, but she still love deeply her husband. She was over 100 years old when she died. Because of her quite nature and pure beauty, she is compared with the snow.

Jia Yuanchun : Baoyu's elder sister, she is 10 years older than him. She married the Emperor Ling who fell in love for her. She is described as the Jewel of the Emperor for her beauty. They had two sons, the futur Emperors Shao and Xian. She was the regent of her first son. She was murdered during Dong Zhuo's coup.

Jia Tanchun : Baoyu's half sister, daughter of Jia Zheng and Lady Zhao. She is young, but already really beautiful. People says she have the beauty of the Rose. She managed to escape death along with her brother Huan, thanks to their mother. Years later, he will marry a general from a far away kingdom.

Li Wan : Widow of Jia Zhu, the older brother of Baoyu. She is very strict towards everyone, including herself. Always mourning the death of her husband, she is gloomy, and often cries when she is alone. She also blame herself to not had a child while she could. She perish during the destruction of the Red Mansion. She was as beautiful as the silk she wear.

Jia Yingchun : Baoyu's eldest cousin. She is married to Gao Qiu, a high grade soldier of the Empire. He is a violent man, and she suffered a lot during their marriage. Gao Qiu joins the coup. She managed to escape his vigilance and to go to the Mansion to warn them about it. She was killed by her own husband, who have no remorse, during the destruction of the Mansion. Her beauty is the same as a flickering flamme.

Jia Xichun : Jia Yingchun's younger sister and Baoyu's cousin. She is an accomplished artiste, and is perfectionned in painting. Her beauty is said to be as pure as a pearl. With the fall of the family, she joined her retainer Miaoyu in a Temple and became a priestess.

Miaoyu : Priestess of Guanyin, she is the servant and the chosest friend to Jia Xichun. Her beauty is compared to the stars. With the fall of the family, she went with her friend Xichun and entered in a Temple

Wang Xifeng : Wife of Jia Lian, the cousin of Baoyu. Charming, well speaker, she is also vicious and cruel. She is said to have the devious beauty of a Spider. It's her who managed the house and the servants since the death of Lady Wang. She is the favorite of Grand-mother Jia, and get along well with Lady Zhao. There is some friction between her and her husband about who is the real chief of their couple (and family). She died during the massacre of the family, alongside her husband after they managed to protect their child.

Jia Qiaojie : Daughter of Jia Lian, Baoyu's cousin, and Wang Xifeng. She looks like her mother when she was young. She is playful and active, but also very humble and hard-worker. Even if she is still very young, she have the beauty of the Magnolia. When the Mansion was attacked, she was sent to the countryside, under the protection of the Hua family, Grand-mother Jia's old friends. She will later marry their grandson, Ban'er. She possessed an unique comb, despiting a magnolia that will be inherite by one of her descendant.

Qin Keqing : Wife of Jia Rong, a cousin of Baoyu. She have an affair with her father in law, Jia She. She is as pretty and as deceitful as the Vixen. She took an active part in the rebellion. She hides en important secret (for more informations, look "Baigujing")

Shi Xiangyun : Distant cousin of Jia Baoyu. She is known for her androgynous beauty. Orphan in infancy, she was taken in by Jia Zheng, who she call "uncle" despite being, in fact, a cousin of his first wife. She was one of the rare ones to marry by love, but her husband died less than a year after. Faithful to him, she never remarry. She always wore a necklace depicting a Qilin which was give to her by her late husband. Her beauty is compared to a butterfly, which also symbolise death surround her. During the destruction of the Mansion, she managed to escaped et was protected by the famous archer Zhou Tong. She dress up as a man and took the name of Lu Junyi. She later joins the 108 Su Xing with who she stay until her death. With the Outlaws, she was nicknamed "Jade Qilin" for her necklace.


Notes :
- The identity of Jia Tanchum's husband is not yet chosen. Same for Shi Xiangyun.
- Hua is the name of Mulan (in the legend). Mulan means also Magnolia in Chinese, so let you guess who is the decendant of Jia Qiaojie.