[Dream of the Red Chamber + Strange Tales] Lotus Blossoms in the Palace

At first, Su He thought she had transmigrated into a story from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. As a lotus flower before the Buddha, she diligently cultivated for a hundred years.

Then a bolt of heavenly lightning struck her and sent her into the body of an official's daughter who had drowned.

The good news: She finally had arms and legs.

The bad news: The girl was about to be sent to the capital for the imperial selection.

"He'er, don't worry. Your mother's family comes from the Rong clan. They're a collateral branch, but still close relatives, and Old Madam Shi is as kind as can be. She even sent word to tell me that when you arrive in the capital, you can just prepare for the selection in peace."

Her kind and considerate stepmother, harboring ulterior motives, held her hand and gave her an earnest pep talk, eager to bundle her onto the boat bound for the capital.

Su He stared in shock. ...Oh, I get it. I transmigrated into Dream of the Red Chamber!

At this point, Lin Daiyu has just entered the Jia household, Yuanchun is still a lady-in-waiting to Dowager Consort Zhen, and the high-and-mighty emperor is fighting for his life, squeezed between his father and the powerful noble families.

After spending four hundred years alone, Su He is so starved for company that she's practically gone mad. She rubs her hands together excitedly, ready to get a close-up look at the "pledge between wood and stone" and the "fated match of gold and jade."

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When she first meets Tu Zhen, he is seated high upon the dragon throne. With his gentle air and smiling lips, he looks so carefree that he seems less like an emperor with a military background and more like a romantic young gentleman who writes poetry.

Blinded by the golden dragon aura radiating from this dog of an emperor, Su He feels her spiritual power replenishing inside her and starts making plans. ...Now I know why the spirits kept throwing themselves at Tang Sanzang. How could anyone resist this?

This novel is also known as: "The Sustainable Development of Dragon Aura Extraction"

Also known as: "How an Ordinary Human Went Mad After Being Forced to Listen to Buddhist Sutras for Four Hundred Years"

And also known as: "The Self-Cultivation of a 'Bewitching Consort'"

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A two-faced, ruthless dog emperor vs. a dragon-aura-obsessed, deceptively sweet and unhinged female spirit

This story has many original alterations. It features palace intrigue, household drama, political machinations, and supernatural oddities, with some mild horror. Expect plenty of unscientific powers from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, In Search of the Supernatural, and What the Master Would Not Discuss.

Not a mutually exclusive relationship. Readers with extreme preferences, please stay away. At first, the leads use each other for their own ends. Later, the man pursues the woman, and the male lead has one-sided feelings for her. The female lead loves no one and stays clear-eyed. She sees the emperor as a super-tonic and follows a professional path of worldly cultivation, where she has feelings yet seems devoid of them.

The Jia family is portrayed negatively, as is Jing Huan. The "pledge between wood and stone" pairing is broken up. The female lead repays kindness and takes revenge, and she won't put up with anything. She's chaotic neutral. She has a weakness debuff early on (which will be lifted), but it won't stop her from cutting down enemies left and right when she gets serious.

Political struggles aren't going to end with everyone getting along. A naive, sweet character wouldn't survive three chapters. To reiterate, this story includes palace intrigue and household drama (as indicated by the tags). It's just for entertainment, so please don't take it too seriously or compare it to real life. If that bothers you, please don't read. This is a fictional Dream of the Red Chamber setting with many original alterations. Think of it as a parallel universe. Readers who demand strict adherence to the source material, proceed with caution.

The cover has been commercially licensed. The character designs are non-exclusive. Uploaded on March 22, 2023.

Theme: Persevere through every setback, and even a withered tree can bloom again.