Dream of the Red Chamber: I Kidnap Lin Daiyu from the Start

Zhao Xi, a retired special forces officer from the twenty-first century, accidentally fell off a cliff during a field exercise. When he opened his eyes again, it was the fifteenth year of the Jinghe era in the Great Zhou dynasty. He had become the only son of Zhao Tianqing, leader of a rebel army, and shared his name. He was sixteen years old. Before he could even process what had happened, his father Zhao Tianqing was killed in the court's massive campaign to wipe out the rebels, leaving him five hundred battered survivors, a bronze token, and the final words: “Head north.”

The road north across the river was riddled with checkpoints, and the court had issued bounties across the land for the remnants of the Zhao family. Looking at the five hundred men he had left, Zhao Xi made a snap decision: he needed an official identity to serve as cover. Just then, he encountered the daughter of Lin Ruhai, an Imperial Salt Inspector who was escorting his father's coffin north. The scene seemed familiar, but Zhao Xi couldn't remember where he'd seen it. He just felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.

Zhao Xi made a bold decision: he would abduct her. He would pose as her bodyguard and use the Lin family's official status to get past the checkpoints.