A modern parallel world, where the people of the Dream of the Red Chamber transmigrate back into the novel.
When everything has returned to its proper place and the dynasty is nearing collapse, how can they overcome their personal troubles?
As the first to enter the book, Shi Xiangyun's answer is: do the exercises!
During summer vacation, Shi Xiangyun used the excuse of asking Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai to tutor her to turn down the cram school her uncle and aunt had signed her up for. She went to visit her great-aunt and unexpectedly found a book titled 99 Essential Dream of the Red Chamber Questions for the Gaokao.
The next thing she knew, she had become the newborn daughter of the Earl of Baoling and had somehow been bound to the Dream of the Red Chamber quiz System.
"In Chapter Two, Lady Jia passes away in Yangzhou. Which word can replace 'passes away' without changing the meaning?"
A. Ascend to heaven
B. Die
C. Ascend to immortality
D. Pass away
Xiangyun: Aren't A, B, and D all the same? Then I'll pick C!
System: A, B, and D do have similar meanings, but the first rule of multiple-choice questions is to choose the best answer.
Wrong answer. Punishment triggered.
At the Lin residence in Yangzhou.
Jia Min, who had been so sick she was unconscious, suddenly rose into the air, bed and all, and flew away!
The authorities then sent people to investigate.
The people of Yangzhou all said that there really had been a bed flying over the Lin residence that day.
After Jia Min ascended, Daiyu and Lin Ruhai's health improved day by day.
In response, Jia Min, newly recognized by the imperial court as the Immortal Lady of Universal Salvation and Purity, said: Now that I'm an immortal, can't I bless my family with good health?
"What is the title of Chapter Sixteen? Jia Yuanchun Is Chosen for the ___ Palace."
A. Fengzao Palace
B. Hanlin Academy
C. Hulu Temple
D. Begonia Society
Xiangyun: I don't know which one is correct, but B ought to be the best choice for Big Sis.
A servant hurried into the Jia residence with the news.
"Sir, Madam, wonderful news! The eldest young lady has passed! His Majesty has personally named her the top scholar and appointed her a Hanlin compiler. She's about to parade through the streets on horseback!"
"Oh! She passed, she passed! My daughter passed!" Old Master Zheng cried, then fainted from excitement.
System: I'll let the last question slide as a careless mistake, but how could you get this one wrong too? As a high school student from the 21st century, have you never studied the Dream of the Red Chamber?
Xiangyun: In the 21st century where I used to live, my second uncle was called Shi Nai, my third uncle was Shi Ding, and my great-aunt was the wife of the chairwoman of the Jia Corporation. All my relatives, even the servants, had the same names as the characters in the book. Guess whether my world had this book?
System: I see. Your whole family has never read the Dream of the Red Chamber. Then you'll all come here and study it firsthand.
Xiangyun: No, no, no!
Daiyu, Baoyu, Baochai, Xifeng, and the others, who had been living perfectly well in the 21st century, cried out in anger: You brought that System tyrant here, didn't you?
Xiangyun: Can you really bear to watch yourselves in another world suffer? Since we're here, why not figure out how to answer the questions?
The System handed everyone a copy of the Dream of the Red Chamber. "Take a look. Read it carefully."
After reading, everyone was furious, silent, and thoughtful.
A family's rise and fall is part of the natural course of history, but why were all the Twelve Beauties doomed to tragedy?
Was it because of mistakes, bad luck, or flaws in their personalities?
No! Those were not the main reasons. Their plight was shaped by their era!
Want to save yourselves? When the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain intact? In an era where countless women like the Twelve Beauties are doomed to tragedy, is saving yourselves alone enough?
Xiangyun slammed the table (furiously defending them): Reform! We absolutely have to reform this rotten feudal society!
Thanks to the efforts of this group, whose average age was that of high school students, the Great Xi Dynasty caught up with the times and climbed aboard the mighty locomotive of the Industrial Revolution...
Possible ending:
Xiangyun (Duchess of Baoling, prime minister): Women are strong by nature.
Xifeng (Minister of Finance): Why should a narrow space confine great ambition? The inner chambers cannot kill a phoenix.
Daiyu (Minister of Education and president of the women's university): Talent is not confined to the boudoir. Let us share our words and laughter with scholars throughout the land.
Baochai (Minister of Foreign Trade): Free of all the burdens I once carried, I need not wait for the wind to rise before soaring into the clouds.
Tanchun (reform pioneer and diplomat): I still travel across the seas in this life, not for a political marriage, but to study abroad.
High school students save the world. A silly, satisfying story, so don't overthink it.
The Industrial Revolution, constitutional monarchy, and similar plotlines come much later. The early story focuses on family matters and court intrigue. Baoyu and Daiyu won't end up together (they're modern people, and marrying close relatives is a no-no). I'll do my best to neither vilify nor idealize the original characters, and to view them with compassion.
Theme: Another day of high school students saving the world
