Duke Rui of the Red Mansion: It Starts with Qin Keqing Giving a Maidservant

The timeline is too late. Traveling through Jia Rui at this point is probably not seen by anyone, and there are psychological barriers.

It's well written. From the perspective of an old bookworm like me, the officialdom battle is indeed unique. But I suggest changing the title of the book, as it is too straightforward.

The plot pacing is recommended to be pushed faster.

This book was definitely a hit, so I only reached the first volume, which is about 180 chapters. So I would like to explain this. 1. Who is the protagonist? It has 12 major names: 1. Black Lantern Man (because he always thinks about problems in the dark, similar to Li Linfu thinking on the platform) 2. Tsing Yi Divination (Tsing Yi Divination whenever big things happen) 3. Half-hearted (the early environment is harsh and very difficult) 4. The Undefeated (no failure, extremely risk averse, as long as you do it, you will win) 5. The one who holds the gold and iron as he wishes (a scholar in charge of military power, who was specially given a token by the emperor) 6. The master of the one-eyed maidservant (the protagonist's concubine Ruomei, a figure similar to Wu Zetian, gave birth to a son for the protagonist, and later married Wei Ruolan to realize his ambition) 7. Duke Rui Guo (started fighting as a prefect, made countless achievements along the way, and won the title) 8. Kill the king Hong Fan (the leader of the White Lotus Sect similar to Hong Xiuquan) 9. Miao Yi Zhenren (the title given by the emperor to become a monk for a short period of time) 10. Those who are good at making money (owners of various industries such as Ruixuetang and Ruibao Pavilion) 11. Husbands of Xu Miaoyu, Xue Baoqin, Qin Keqing, and Lin Daiyu (Lin Daiyu is the protagonist's wife) 12. Wanshan (the protagonist is a man of many good deeds) ) 2. Age issue Strictly based on the original work, in the first volume: Jia Rui is around 20 years old, set to be 21 years old, with his 22nd birthday in November, Baoyu is 12 years old, Jia Lian is 22 years old, Wang Xifeng already has a daughter, among the twelve hairpins, only Qin Keqing, Wang Xifeng, Xue Baochai (obviously falsely reporting their age, considered to be adults), Miaoyu, and Li Wan are adults. 3. The Problem of the Female Protagonist The female protagonist Jia Tanchun was originally set, so a lot of preparation was done in the early stage. An insurmountable bug was discovered midway, and she was changed to Miaoyu (Xu Miaoyu). Because they are about the same age, Jia Zheng admires him, and without his natal family to support him, he can only rely on Jia Zheng and his wife. They are also semi-monastics, with great knowledge and rich family assets. But Miaoyu is "not a monk, not a vulgar, not a man, not a woman", and has a resolute temperament, which will inevitably lead to fierce conflicts with the protagonist after marriage. After the two had been married for 15 years, Miaoyu officially became a monk. Like Mrs. Wei, she no longer interfered with secular affairs. In addition to Miaoyu, Xue Baoqin and Qin Keqing also joined the Lin family. The protagonist's marriages are all political marriages, with political considerations in mind, which are very boring. 4. The protagonist's harem group Jia Rui is a very rosy person in the original work, so this level is inevitable. Four concubines: Wang Xifeng, Bai Jinchuan, You Erjie, Xing Xiuyan Ten concubines: Baozhu, Qianxue, Qingyi, Ruomei, Ruozhu, Ruoju, Yanhong, Pan'er, Ruizhu, Zhixiang Outer concubine: Duo Niuniang, Lanxiang, Yufeng, etc. 5. The logic of this book Strictly follow the political logic of the original work and derive it step by step. Some contents are even surprising to the author himself. The logic of political struggle: from the fierce financial struggle (the death of Qin Keqing and Lin Ruhai was the climax. Qin Keqing's death was the result of the emperor's destruction of the nobles and the emperor's money bags. Lin Ruhai was the emperor's financial pioneer, and his attack on salt affairs failed), to the emperor's appeasement of the nobles and generals (concubines), to the increasingly fierce military struggle. The protagonist rises and falls in this general trend and gradually gains military power. It is absolutely impossible to start political and military struggles in power from the beginning. It is unrealistic.