The cause of death of Ch'in K'o-ch'ing has long been open to arguement in the study of Dream of the Red Chamber. In chapter 13 of the Chia-hsu version, a commentary indicated that the story in the manuscript, of the death of Chin K'o-ching due to adulterous affairs, had been deleted due to a suggestion by Chi-hu-so. This point is generally accepted, but there is still room for doubt. In the present study, from the controversy on the season of death, questions about the location and the usage of the T'ien-hsiang Building, and the cause of Ch'in's death, it is concluded that there is no such story in the original manuscript of Dream of the Red Chamber. Consequently, the credibility and the meaning of "Chih-p'i" (commentaries by Chih-yen-chai and those with similar viewpoints) should be reconsidered. From examination of the commentaries, it has been found that some were inconsistent with one another, and in certain cases the commentators did have misunderstandings about contents of the novel. Moreover, several "side commentaries" about the death of Ch'in K'o-ch'ing in chapter 13 of tte Chia-hsu version were likely later work which followed the statement about the "adulterous affairs" by earlier commentators. This cautions us to pay close attention if we are going to employ "Chih-p'i" to the study of Dream of the Red Chamber.