Jia Heng, the most inconspicuous illegitimate son in Dream of the Red Chamber, woke to find a bowl of rancid rice before him. The original owner had written “But can I really compete with them?” in the margin of a page from Mencius, then died of illness in an unmarked corner. Another soul had taken his place: “What you didn’t dare fight for, I’ll fight for you.”
His legitimate mother withheld his allowance, his legitimate elder brother humiliated him, and even the servants dared to beat and curse him. The accounts were short by 140,000 taels, Prince Zhongshun’s household siphoned off 20,000 taels every year, and someone was slowly poisoning the Old Madam’s medicine. Shen Yanqing, an orphan with no family to protect her, placed her father’s petition in his hands. “Third Master, I believe in you.”
No one thought an illegitimate son could make waves. But he was determined to audit the books, seize power, and pull the Jia household out of the mire. Cao Xueqin wrote, “A vast expanse of snow-white earth, so clean and pure.” He refused to accept that ending. He would write a different one.
An illegitimate son can rise too. Just watch.
