bestfiction Chapter 155: Revision of Dream of the Red Chamber
Chapter 155: Revision of Dream of the Red Chamber
day.
Forbidden City.
The bronze lion looks solemnly into the distance.
In the room, Emperor Gai Zhang walked back and forth. He Shen and Fu Kang'an were also present.
Emperor Gai Zhang said: "You two tell me whether Dream of the Red Chamber is a rebellious book."
He Shen said, "This... Your Majesty, please take a look."
Emperor Gai Zhang said, "I have only read the first half. How can it be said to be against the Xuan and restore the Ming?"
He Shen said, "Your Majesty is wise. It is indeed a bit far-fetched to say that Dream of the Red Chamber is against Xuanzang and restores the Ming Dynasty, but the ideas in the book are completely contrary to the teachings of Confucius and Mencius."
Emperor Gai Zhang said, "Why do you say that, my dear minister?"
He Shen said, "Your Majesty, think about this: Jia Baoyu in the book never reads the Four Books and Five Classics, but only likes to read things like Romance of the Western Chamber. Isn't this contradicting Confucius and Mencius?"
Emperor Gai Zhang hummed a sound, and He Shen paused. Emperor Gai Zhang said, "Go on. Go on."
He Shen said, "And the well-educated Jia Zheng, Jia Baoyu's father, is portrayed as an old stubborn man who is stuck in the past. It's really boring to read. Is this the way to educate people?"
Emperor Gai Zhang said: "That makes some sense."
He Shen said, "Your Majesty, please think carefully. If books like this spread, everyone will imitate Jia Baoyu, and the Four Books and Five Classics will no longer be studied, and the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues will no longer be respected. Forgive me for asking, Your Majesty, how will you govern the country?"
Emperor Gai Zhang said, "My dear minister, your words hit the nail on the head."
Fu Kang'an agreed, "Yes, Your Excellency, what you said makes sense. In my opinion, we should burn it."
Emperor Gai Zhang was shocked and said, "Burn Dream of the Red Chamber?" He thought to himself that if he really burned Dream of the Red Chamber, wouldn't he become a sinner for all eternity?
Fu Kang'an said, "Your Majesty, these days I have been investigating the case of the anti-book and have discovered that many people are secretly spreading the Dream of the Red Chamber. This shows how widespread its influence is. If it spreads, the consequences will be disastrous."
Emperor Gai Zhang said, "The old queen likes this book very much."
He Shen said, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is kind and benevolent. How could she have seen through Cao Xueqin's deceptive tactics?"
Emperor Gai Zhang said, "But if The Story of the Stone is banned, how can I explain this to the Empress Dowager?"
He Shen smiled and said, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, it is better to improve than to ban."
The Emperor said, "Revise Dream of the Red Chamber?" He thought to himself, if all the essence was changed, wouldn't that ruin the book?
He Shen said, "Yes, we will remove all the unorthodox content from the book and replace it with the teachings of Confucius and Mencius. Then the book can still be published throughout the world."
Emperor Gai Zhang said, "Do you think this method is feasible?"
He Shen said, "Yes, Your Majesty, the last forty chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber have long been lost."
Emperor Gai Zhang thought to himself, bullshit, it turns out the reason why Dream of the Red Chamber was lost was because of you and Heshen.
Fu Kangan said, "Master He, that's a good move."
He Shen smiled and said, "The ending of the story and the fate of the characters must be revealed in the last forty chapters. In this way, we can have Jia Baoyu later learn eight-legged essays, take the imperial examinations, pass the imperial examinations, marry and have children. He will continue the family line and become a loyal minister and filial son."
Emperor Gai Zhang said, "You can't change it this way."
He Shen asked, "Why?"
Emperor Gai Zhang said, "You should let Jia Baoyu cultivate immortality, that would be more interesting."
He Shen said, "Your Majesty, if I make this change, I can set a good example for those scholars who are not content with their current situation."
Fu Kang'an said, "Also, Jia Baoyu cannot marry Lin Daiyu."
Emperor Gai Zhang said, "The Queen Mother really likes them both."