Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting with Lao Ai's Template

With Lao Ai in the bedroom, Dong Zhuo in commanding troops, and Cai Jing in handling politics and finances, the protagonist has all three—what worries could there be about failing in his grand undertaking? Perhaps even Grandmother Jia could taste the flavors of a Wheel-Turning King!

Actually, I've always had this thought when reading historical novels: if the protagonist wants to act like a scholar, and the author can't quite manage it, they could use AI to write poetry to set the scene elements. I've seen AI-generated poems posted by others that sometimes produce some really good lines! The key is that the quality is consistent; they're generally not bad. Then, in some crucial places, they could borrow terms from famous historical figures. Wouldn't that be much better?

The author artificially elevates or overestimates the status of talented scholars in feudal dynasties. It takes at least five years to obtain official rank and cultivate power within the court; becoming a prime minister or a powerful figure requires at least ten or twenty years. By then, the Jia family's graves would be overgrown with weeds.

There's practically no romance. The protagonist's time travel is purely driven by lust and scheming. Frankly, in ancient times, the path to advancement through the imperial examinations took far too long. Even with a powerful plot device, if the story were more believable, the Jia family would have been wiped out long ago.

A fool, the moment he regained consciousness, started copying poems. Was he still studying when he was foolish?

The author should explain: the protagonist, as an imperial envoy sent to provide disaster relief, would naturally need errand runners to gather information in the face of such a natural and man-made calamity. Then... The protagonist sets off alone. At crucial moments, even delivering messages requires having onlookers fetch messengers from the post stations.

The biggest problem with this book, in my opinion, is the discrepancy between the synopsis and the content. The synopsis is appealing to SPs but not to MMs. However, it's not quite SP enough.

I was so embarrassed reading this. Jia Daixiu, the clan chief of Jinling? I'm speechless! The author should read the original text: "After the two dukes of Ningguo and Rongguo, there were a total of twenty branches. Apart from the eight branches of the Ningguo and Rongguo lineage living in the capital, there are twelve branches that currently reside in their ancestral home."

There was no harem at all. Everything was only hinted at. Then there was all sorts of filler content. The imperial examination papers were submitted early. Lin Ruhai's noble rank was reduced to that of an ordinary family. The prestige of a powerful noble family was completely absent.

Are you some kind of imperial envoy? Going to provide disaster relief all by yourself? Investigating a case all by yourself? Can't you use your brain? This is getting worse and worse. 🤮