The Splendor of the Red Chamber

They portrayed Baochai as a clown. I find it strange that Baochai in the original novel did as many bad things as Fengjie, yet in this book Fengjie is a positive character, while Baochai becomes a second version of Lady Wang and Aunt Zhao. She's essentially just a precocious little girl whose father died early and who was forced to shoulder some family responsibilities.

In my personal opinion, the phrase "ambitions higher than the sky, fate thinner than paper" best describes Xue Baochai. Born into a merchant family in ancient times, she was already at a disadvantage. Later, she single-mindedly sought to climb the social ladder in an attempt to change her own and the Xue family's fate. Everyone and everything around her, including herself, was a tool to be used, ultimately leading to a tragic end.

When reading the novel *Dream of the Red Chamber*, everyone thinks of Baochai as an honest person, but in reality, Baochai has done many unethical things. Let me summarize them. First, the story of Daiyu being framed at the Dripping Green Pavilion; Second, he wanted to introduce Daiyu to his wicked brother.

Killing Yu Er basically cements the protagonist's place on the pillar of shame. A protagonist who enjoys resorting to many low-level, disgusting, and despicable tactics has truly squandered all the goodwill he initially garnered. One was to use despicable means to seduce Lady Wang. One is someone who shamelessly grovels before Wang Xifeng.

The good thing about this book is that it doesn't fawn over Qin Keqing. Many superficial authors portray Qin Keqing as dignified, generous, and pure simply because she's beautiful! This kind of behavior of fawning over beautiful women is truly disgusting. It's ridiculous that an uncultured, immoral, incestuous woman becomes the wife of so many protagonists; both the protagonists and the author are laughable.

The plot itself is good, but Xue Pan's incident happened too early. In the end, the protagonist is indeed a poor relative. At least his status has improved and he can deal with people more easily. Now, he is using others' strength to fight back and getting himself into trouble too early, which is not the right way.

Wang Xifeng definitely had problems. Regardless of the circumstances, her inability to bear a son for many years was a fault in ancient times. Not only did she not have a son herself, but she also prevented her husband from having relations with other women; among the seven grounds for divorce, she was found guilty of childlessness. Her jealousy was also a serious issue.

Why do some readers feel that Daiyu's character has collapsed? Do you know what it means to use harsh measures in chaotic times? If she hadn't been ruthless, Daiyu would have been the one to be completely taken advantage of. If a weak woman hadn't hardened her heart and supported her family, it would have been Lin Ruhai and Daiyu who would have been shattered to pieces.

The portrayal of Baochai in this book is thoroughly dark; she's inherently restless, and being made a concubine after Daiyu only fuels her resentment. Coupled with the foolishness of her mother and brother, the probability of her plotting to kill Daiyu and seize power is quite high. Bringing her into the family is purely a recipe for trouble. However, some readers wouldn't be satisfied with not making her a concubine, so at most she'd be a mistress.

To be honest, this book is really well-written, far surpassing most other Dream of the Red Chamber fanfiction on the market. The characters are vividly portrayed, faithful to the original work, and the plot is engaging. The only thing I can't accept is the love affair with Yingchun.