Dream of the Red Chamber: The Northern Jinghua Prince

Most people who enter the world of Dream of the Red Chamber begin as sons of a collateral branch or lowborn concubines, struggling miserably to make their way. Shui Rong, however, is the Northern Tranquility Commandery Prince from the start, inheriting a noble title and commanding troops, already holding the highest rank a subject can attain, with almost nowhere left to advance. But in this life, he will neither trample on Baoyu nor suppress the Jia family. Instead, let us see what becomes of that idle rich man who spends his days reciting poetry and admiring the moon when this world forces him to become someone entirely different. As for the many young women of the Grand Prospect Garden, they need not follow that predetermined register of tragic fates one by one. Daiyu need not only be known for burying flowers, Baochai may not always be so proper, Yingchun need not remain timid and weak, and Xiangyun need not merely hide tears behind her laughter. Each golden hairpin has her own temperament, and each has another path she can take. First marriage, then love, and hidden currents within the women's quarters: this time, the story begins at the Northern Tranquility Prince's residence and changes everything from the beginning.