Jiang Kui, one of the most esteemed poets and musicians of the Song dynasty, has been widely studied since the Qing dynasty. Xia Chengtao, a distinguished scholar of premodern poetry, “revealed” an important life event of the poet—the “Hefei Incident” and explained many of Jiang’s obscure lyrics on the base of a long lasting love affair that the poet had with two sisters in Hefei. The romance, according to Xia, is of crucial importance to our reading of Jiang’s compositions, a view that has gained an overwhelming support among scholars. This article, however, re-examines the construction of this so-called “original incident,” a referential context in which, scholars believe, meanings are to be explored. By further examining their views and deployment of the incident in their analyses, the article aims to shed new light on the relevance of the romantic account and argues that Jiang’s works can be read differently.