Considering this is after Jia Rui's death which was outright caused by bad karma, I do wonder if the implication is that Jia Zhen did kill Qin Keqing with the taint of his actions even if it wasn't as direct as driving her to suicide. He's certainly acting like he believes that's the case. Almost like a reversal of Wang Xifeng vs Jia Rui, what would have happened if Wang Xifeng didn't fight back.
Exactly right. There’s a very strong implication here that Jia Zhen feels that he is directly responsible for Qin Keqing’s death.
Actually, as I’ve reflected on this a little bit, I think that it’s actually more interesting for there to be this mystery around her death and the affair. If everything were written clearly and directly, it wouldn’t be as much fun. It’s almost like a detective novel in a way: you keep running into clear clues that something odd was happening between Jia Zhen and Qin Keqing…
Is it a bit weird that he has 50 taoists and buddhists perform their version of a ceremony for repentance simultaneously? Seems like a desperate attempt at restoring Qin Kequings dignity which he himself tarnished.
China has a long history of including both Taoist/Daoist and Buddhist monks in funeral rituals (source 1, 2, 3). I interpret it as Jia Zhen demanded the lavish funeral to deal with the guilt.
source 1: 〈唐時期的喪葬觀〉/Funeral view of Tang and Song Dynasty (by 張永昇)
"...with the funeral rites starting on the third day after that period, at which time the obituary notices would also be sent out."
I'm afraid Hawkes and Yang were right: 開喪 marks the opening date (determined by the Yin-Yang officials) for public mourning, but before that, House Jia had much to prepare: hiring funeral service personnel (monks, musicians, pallbearers etc.), sending out obituaries, post-mortem care (cleaning, grooming, dressing up etc.), readying the coffins, arranging rooms etc.. I'd assume family members and close relatives had a short window to see her the last time before the coffin was sealed, because the corpse would slowly begin to rot, even with all the measurements noble families could have taken (thank goodness it was around the coldest time of the year). Other mourners could still be coming afterwards ofc, like Xifeng went over on the 35th day of Keqing's death in chapter 14: 「這日乃五七正五日上...鳳姐緩緩走入會芳園中登仙閣靈前，一見了棺材...」.
So, this the timeline I understand:
Keqing passed away > 3-day preparation work, meanwhile 49 days of 停靈 rite (眾僧道消災洗孽 while 百僧道按七作好事) began > House Jia sent out obituaries on the third day of her death > 發引出殯 > 寄靈鐵檻寺 > 入殮.
I can’t figure out the exact starting point of certain events, such as when was the coffin ready or when did the monks start the rites (I only know it must be before the “Day 7”). For those who can’t view the picture attached: https://imgur.com/a/T1eGqgF
"...where 99 Quanzhen Taoist priests would conduct a 19 day penance..."
Interestingly, it's 49 days (「...是九十九位全真道士，打四十九日解冤洗業醮。」) in all the editions before the Cheng ones. (《石頭記會真》Vol. 2, page 256). I don't know Taoism well but I'd say 19 was a typo because it doesn't make sense to me.
Considering this is after Jia Rui's death which was outright caused by bad karma, I do wonder if the implication is that Jia Zhen did kill Qin Keqing with the taint of his actions even if it wasn't as direct as driving her to suicide. He's certainly acting like he believes that's the case. Almost like a reversal of Wang Xifeng vs Jia Rui, what would have happened if Wang Xifeng didn't fight back.
Exactly right. There’s a very strong implication here that Jia Zhen feels that he is directly responsible for Qin Keqing’s death.
Actually, as I’ve reflected on this a little bit, I think that it’s actually more interesting for there to be this mystery around her death and the affair. If everything were written clearly and directly, it wouldn’t be as much fun. It’s almost like a detective novel in a way: you keep running into clear clues that something odd was happening between Jia Zhen and Qin Keqing…
Is it a bit weird that he has 50 taoists and buddhists perform their version of a ceremony for repentance simultaneously? Seems like a desperate attempt at restoring Qin Kequings dignity which he himself tarnished.
China has a long history of including both Taoist/Daoist and Buddhist monks in funeral rituals (source 1, 2, 3). I interpret it as Jia Zhen demanded the lavish funeral to deal with the guilt.
source 1: 〈唐時期的喪葬觀〉/Funeral view of Tang and Song Dynasty (by 張永昇)
[https://share.google/idZpejZhJlo5dhACZ]
source 2: 〈明清时期的礼生与王朝礼仪〉(by 刘永华)
[https://www.sinoss.net/uploadfile/2010/1130/9415.pdf]
source 3: Death Rites and Chinese Culture: Standardization and Variation in Ming and Qing Times (by Donald S. Sutton et al)
[https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0097700406294915]
P.S.: maybe see my other comment for an explanation.
"...with the funeral rites starting on the third day after that period, at which time the obituary notices would also be sent out."
I'm afraid Hawkes and Yang were right: 開喪 marks the opening date (determined by the Yin-Yang officials) for public mourning, but before that, House Jia had much to prepare: hiring funeral service personnel (monks, musicians, pallbearers etc.), sending out obituaries, post-mortem care (cleaning, grooming, dressing up etc.), readying the coffins, arranging rooms etc.. I'd assume family members and close relatives had a short window to see her the last time before the coffin was sealed, because the corpse would slowly begin to rot, even with all the measurements noble families could have taken (thank goodness it was around the coldest time of the year). Other mourners could still be coming afterwards ofc, like Xifeng went over on the 35th day of Keqing's death in chapter 14: 「這日乃五七正五日上...鳳姐緩緩走入會芳園中登仙閣靈前，一見了棺材...」.
So, this the timeline I understand:
Keqing passed away > 3-day preparation work, meanwhile 49 days of 停靈 rite (眾僧道消災洗孽 while 百僧道按七作好事) began > House Jia sent out obituaries on the third day of her death > 發引出殯 > 寄靈鐵檻寺 > 入殮.
I can’t figure out the exact starting point of certain events, such as when was the coffin ready or when did the monks start the rites (I only know it must be before the “Day 7”). For those who can’t view the picture attached: https://imgur.com/a/T1eGqgF
"...where 99 Quanzhen Taoist priests would conduct a 19 day penance..."
Interestingly, it's 49 days (「...是九十九位全真道士，打四十九日解冤洗業醮。」) in all the editions before the Cheng ones. (《石頭記會真》Vol. 2, page 256). I don't know Taoism well but I'd say 19 was a typo because it doesn't make sense to me.
"This phrase originally comes from the poem 靈隱寺 (Lingyin Temple) by the Tang dynasty poet 宋之問 (Song Zhiwen):"
I don't know where does it originate but it did appear in works before the Tang dynasty:
1. 《鍾呂傳道集》：「...次脾受之，則肌若凝脂，而瘢痕盡除；次肺受之，則鼻聞天香，而顏復少年... 」(https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E5%91%82%E7%A5%96%E5%85%A8%E6%9B%B8_(32%E5%8D%B7%E6%9C%AC)/%E5%8D%B7%E4%BA%8C%E5%8D%81%E4%B9%9D)
2. 〈奉和同泰寺浮圖〉：「天香下桂殿，仙梵入伊笙。」(https://www.arteducation.com.tw/shiwenv_10aa344e6b77.html)
3. 《靈寶無量度人上品妙經》：「...說經九遍，雨花盈尺，天香合雲...」(https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E9%9D%88%E5%AF%B6%E7%84%A1%E9%87%8F%E5%BA%A6%E4%BA%BA%E4%B8%8A%E5%93%81%E5%A6%99%E7%B6%93/39)
“Chinese funeral customs traditionally called for ceremonies to be held every seven days after death until the 49th day after death.”
Here's the explanation of the 「按七作好事」, according to 《紅樓夢大辭典》(page 363):
旧时迷信，认为人死之后仍会转生，并自气绝之日算起，每七日为一期，期满即可降生。若期满未得降生，就要再等一期，但最长不得超过七期。七期之内，必得降生一处。因死者在此七七四十九日之间，祸福未定，故其亲属请僧道按期诵经拜忏作好事，替死者免罪修福，解冤洗业，希望他能降生到一个好地方。《北史·魏书·胡国珍传》：“又诏自始薨至七七，皆为设千僧斋。”《随愿往生经》：“命终之人，在中阴中，身如小儿，罪福未定，应为修福。”
Was Jia Zhen desperate to try to bring Keqing back or was he only trying to do something for her at last? Or both? We wouldn't know.