Dream of the Red Chamber: Abyss

How did the quality drop? It lacks the wow factor of *Hidden Dragon*, and there are many jarring moments, especially the drastic alteration of Prince Bei Jing's status and his relationship with the imperial family. Leaving aside the awkwardness of their everyday address, the Empress's choice of Daiyu as Jia Laotai, and the claim that she might not even approve of Prince Bei Jing, is utterly ridiculous. In short, compared to the previous book, this one is rather unreadable.

It feels like the author has some kind of quirk. In the previous book, "Hidden Dragon," the protagonist inexplicably falls in love with Yuan Chun at first sight, only to have her marry someone else. Then there's this woman surnamed Liu, another woman discarded by others, whom the protagonist treats like a treasure.

It's another clichéd opening where the protagonist dies while saving someone, and the synopsis isn't as captivating as The Hidden Dragon in Dream of the Red Chamber.

Good, good, good! Writing Dream of the Red Chamber is all about the interplay of joy and sorrow. The love triangle between Crimson Pearl Fairy and Baoyu becomes a love triangle because of the emperor's arranged marriage—how interesting! Daiyu is separated from her lover and sheds tears of longing to repay the debt of gratitude.

The author seems to really enjoy the "equal wives" trope; writing it like this in every book is so unoriginal. Daiyu is Daiyu, and Baochai is Baochai—and yet the author claims Baochai is Daiyu and Daiyu is Baochai! Where's the logic? Where's the humanity? Where's the creativity? What's the author thinking?

Unlike other fans of *Dream of the Red Chamber*, Daiyu's fans are all very pure. I wonder what the author has been thinking lately. Lin Daiyu's beauty in *Dream of the Red Chamber* has never lay in her appearance or figure, but in her unique spirituality, temperament, talent, and rich inner world. She is a completely different and highly recognizable woman.

I bet this book won't be a hit. The premise is terrible. 😥

I just saw that Daiyu was being chased. Isn't this a bit mindless? Neither the salt merchant nor anyone else had any reason to kill Daiyu. They even used crossbows. Did Daiyu have any evidence of someone rebelling?

The portrayal of Daiyu is increasingly resembling that of a princess. Although her character isn't extensively detailed, she possesses many captivating and endearing qualities. It feels like the author could have made this character even more compelling.

I feel like the main character is Lin Daiyu, and the male lead is the same character as the female lead. I saw other readers saying the author should move to a female-oriented genre, and now I understand what they mean.