Dream of the Red Chamber: Daiyu and I swapped clothes

Chapter 1: I and Daiyu Switched Identity
"Miss, it's time to get up and take your medicine. Didn't Master Bao come and tell you yesterday that you'd like to go to his room to have some fun and relax?"

"If I get up late, Master Bao will definitely be so anxious that he'll come and bang on the door."

Two voices, like silver bells, rang in his ears, but Li Chen still felt as if he were in a dream, his mind in complete chaos.

He's a grown man, seven feet tall, and still unmarried. How could someone be calling out "girl" in his room?
Nonsense!

It's probably because there are too many aftereffects since awakening; an overactive mind and high level of mental tension easily lead to vivid dreams at night.

"Xueyan, come and lend a hand. Help me lift the girl up."

"Coming."

In a daze, two little girls climbed onto Li Chen's bed and gently helped him sit up.

He was carefully cared for as he leaned against the headboard, with a soft, comfortable cotton pillow tucked behind his head.

The soft, warm sensation of the little girl's body touching his side felt almost tangible, and was even enveloped in a faint fragrance, which startled Li Chen.

Opening my eyes, I was greeted by a bed curtain in the color of Xiangfei (a type of flower), with strings of tassels hanging from the exquisite tassels, and various antique sandalwood furniture, with lifelike carvings of auspicious beasts and plants—all unfamiliar sights.

Li Chen was fully awake, but his mind gradually stopped working.

Two young girls were diligently serving him, both with bright eyes and white teeth, and outstanding looks, several times prettier than the concubines he had met in the mansion.

Especially his two eyes, which were bright and piercing, like clear windows.

"Young lady, this medicine isn't bitter. I added extra licorice root. Would you like to try it?"

Before Li Chen could even process what was happening, he mechanically opened his mouth and swallowed the warm medicinal soup in one gulp.

The young girl in front of him beamed with joy. "Miss, this is the most pleasant time you've ever taken your medicine. Why don't you get out of bed, change your clothes, and get ready?"

When Li Chen was helped up, he noticed that his body was incredibly light, and his skin was flawless, with fingers that were white with a hint of pink, just like mutton fat jade.

The reflection of oneself in the bronze mirror was even more exaggerated.

Two arched eyebrows, seemingly furrowed yet not furrowed, and a pair of eyes, seemingly joyful yet not joyful, brimming with affection. Tears glistened in her eyes, her breath was soft and delicate—it was the face of an absolutely beautiful young woman.

"Is Lin Daiyu awake yet? I got the Nine Linked Rings from my Third Sister, but I still don't know how to untie them. I'll have to ask her for help later."

Zijuan, who was tidying up Li Chen's hair, covered her mouth and chuckled, "Second Master Bao has really come."

"Master Bao, please go back to your room and wait a little longer. The young lady has just gotten up to do her hair."

"Alright, alright, I apologize for disturbing you, sister. I'll go back to my room and wait here."

Only then did Li Chen snap out of his daze at the stunningly handsome face, his heart filled with astonishment. "Am I not the youngest son of the Marquis of Zhenyuan? I just regained my memories of my past life, how did I transmigrate again, and into the body of Lin Daiyu?"

In his previous life, Li Chen was just a junior at an ordinary university, already standing at the crossroads of postgraduate entrance exam, civil service exam, and employment. But Li Chen knew in his heart that none of the three seemingly bright paths would be viable, not to mention that his parents wanted him to pursue all three simultaneously: postgraduate entrance exam to reach the highest level, civil service exam for stability, and employment as a fallback plan.

Fortunately, he was quite diligent, and after tireless efforts, he eventually collapsed in the library.

Now he is the young master of the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion in the Great Jing Dynasty.

In noble families, the eldest son usually inherits the family business, while the younger son is pampered and becomes a spoiled brat, enjoying wealth and luxury.

Li Chen thought he was going to enjoy a good life for the rest of his life, but his cheap father, Marquis Zhenyuan, was even more of a pushover and insisted that he choose between the military examination and the imperial examination.

In ancient times, joining the army was a matter of life and death. Without any special abilities, Li Chen had no choice but to take the imperial examination. However, his years of writing habits made him unable to hold a brush properly, which angered his tutor, who refused to teach him anymore. The tutor left behind his tuition fee and went back to his hometown without saying goodbye.

Marquis Zhenyuan was naturally furious. Today was the perfect day to expel him from his residence and send him to the capital garrison to join the army, starting as a front-line soldier.

"Thanks to Heaven, being reborn as Lin Daiyu doesn't present many difficulties. As long as she recovers in the Rongguo Mansion and severs ties with Jia Baoyu, even if the Jia family is eventually raided, she, as an outsider, won't be implicated."

"only……"

A pang of sadness welled up in Li Chen's heart.

But looking down at her own body again, it seems... there are quite a few things worth exploring.

Composing himself, Li Chen decided to start by gathering information, and asked the maid beside him, "Zijuan, how many years have I been in the capital?"

A soft laugh came from behind, "Even a young lady can have a bad memory sometimes. This is the fifth year."

"Is Sister Bao in her room?"

“Miss Bao? I heard that she was not selected in the imperial concubine selection. She should be back at home now.”

The timeline of Dream of the Red Chamber is vague, but the plot is still very compact.

In his previous life, Li Chen came from an ordinary family. While his classmates were all using QQ and playing CrossFire, his family didn't even have a computer. Their only form of entertainment was reading various miscellaneous books.

He read the Four Great Classical Novels he bought from the bookstall until he knew them by heart.

Xue Baochai was rejected as a palace maid, and then Zhou Rui's wife, who was part of Lady Wang's dowry, sent palace flowers to give her a hard time.

Lin Daiyu, a mere dowry maid of a lady, treated her like an outsider and refused to listen to Aunt Xue's arrangements. She made the other girls choose palace flowers first, then go to Wang Xifeng's room to curry favor, and finally leave the two worst-quality flowers in front of her.

Even Lin Daiyu's temperament made things difficult for her with a few words.

In order to live a carefree life in the Rongguo Mansion, Li Chen wanted to take this opportunity to establish his authority!

"Alright, young lady, your beauty doesn't need any rouge or powder; it's already radiant and fair!" Xueyan gently helped Li Chen to her feet. "Young lady, shall we go directly to Master Bao's room, or..."

Xueyan wanted to ask about his need to relieve himself, but Li Chen only felt unbearably hungry. If he didn't eat something soon, he might vomit up the medicine he had just drunk along with his bile. So he quickly asked, "Can't you eat some breakfast to tide you over?"

"Breakfast? Oh right, what would you like to eat, young lady? Chestnut cake, lotus flower pastry, or steamed sweet cheese?"

Li Chen thought for a moment and tentatively asked, "Could we eat some meat?"

"Meat dishes?"

Xueyan and Zijuan both stared wide-eyed.

……

"Second Young Master, Second Young Master, wake up! If you don't leave now, you won't be able to leave. Master is going to send you to that military camp today."

Lin Daiyu opened her eyes groggily and was met with a scene completely unfamiliar to her.

Her brocade curtains were gone, and the brocade quilt covering her was no longer made of silk. The surrounding decorations were sparse, with no murals at all, making it quite unremarkable. She didn't even recognize the maid in front of her.

However, the maid seemed to be urging her on something urgent, and even stuffed a money pouch into her arms.

"Second Young Master, what are you still looking at? This is not the time to linger. Take the money from Madam and go hide at your uncle's house in Wanping County for a few days. Come back after Madam sends you a message. A carriage is prepared at the back gate. If it gets any later, we'll have to take you to the Tongzhou camp!"

"Tongzhou Camp?" Lin Daiyu hadn't grasped the situation yet and had no idea what this military camp had to do with her.

"Yes, those soldiers in the camp are ruthless and heartless. There's a good chance that two of the masters' mortal enemies will make things difficult for the young master. He might just disappear without a trace!"

Lin Daiyu tilted her head, her brows furrowed incessantly.

The maidservant, however, was impatient and grabbed her arm, pulling her outside.

I thought this impetuous girl would throw me off the bed with all her might, but instead I just pulled her down and made her stumble onto the bed.

As her gaze shifted downwards, Lin Daiyu realized that this body was not her own at all!

His arms were strong and as thick as a bowl. Although his skin was not as white as snow, it was a bright wheat color. If he were a man, he would appear particularly rugged and masculine.

Perhaps because she had just woken up in the morning, when Lin Daiyu noticed something beneath her, her face immediately turned bright red.

"Me? I've turned into a man?"

Unable to comprehend it for a moment, Lin Daiyu's mind went blank, and she nearly fainted.

The maidservant pulled her along, dressing her as they headed out of the courtyard.

Where do you want to go?

At the entrance to the courtyard, in front of the corridor, a burly middle-aged man with a thick beard like a halberd blocked the way. His anger was not concealed. If he hadn't been empty-handed, Lin Daiyu would have thought he was about to break in.

He snatched the money pouch and threw it on the ground. Only then did Lin Daiyu notice that behind this man was a beautiful woman whose makeup was ruined from crying.

"Spoiling a child is like killing a child! How long are you going to spoil him?!"

The man roared angrily.

The woman rushed to Lin Daiyu's side, hugging her arm tightly and refusing to let go. Turning back, she pleaded tearfully, "Yi'er has been stationed on the frontier beyond the Great Wall for years and has not been able to return to the capital. Chen'er is all we have now. Are you going to tear us apart? Husband, is your heart made of iron? No matter what, Chen'er cannot leave!"

"He can't succeed in the military, he can't pass the imperial examinations, and you want to keep him in the manor all day, learning cockfighting and dog racing from those young masters? I can't afford to lose face like that! Guards, drag Madam back to her room to rest!"

"no!"

The woman became increasingly agitated, blocking the strong woman who was ordered to step forward, and even brandishing her fingernails to grab at Lin Daiyu beneath her.

For some reason, Lin Daiyu suddenly remembered her birth mother, Jia Min.

If her deceased mother were still alive, she wouldn't have left her in the Rongguo Mansion, living a lonely and miserable life, suffering the cold stares of others. If an accident were to happen, she would surely protect her in the same way.

Slowly raising her hand, Lin Daiyu embraced the woman. This maternal love had been missing for a long time, and now she felt a sense of closeness to the stranger in front of her.

I want to hold on to it, and I don't want to let it go again.

"Mother, I can go to school."

The man's anger was still rising, and when he heard Lin Daiyu speak, he raised his hand and pointed angrily at her head, saying, "The teacher said that you can't even hold a pen upright, how can you study? You don't want to go out and suffer, so you use studying as an excuse. Don't even think about it! Come with me!"

Lin Daiyu frowned slightly. This was the first time she had ever faced such a rude person. Her father, Lin Ruhai, was a gentle and refined man, unlike the vulgar man in front of her who wouldn't even let her finish speaking.

Lin Daiyu looked at the woman and nodded seriously, "Mother, believe me, I can write."

"Mother believes you, of course Mother believes you."

Upon hearing this, the woman wiped away her tears with her handkerchief and lowered her head to ponder the matter.

“Chen’er probably can’t write, but we can stall for a while. His uncle will get the news soon and might be able to help stop the carriage in front of the camp.”

Turning around, the woman straightened her back and said, "Let Chen'er try writing it. If it's really as the teacher said, unreadable, then it's not too late to send it out."

The man glanced at the two of them and snorted, "You two really won't give up until you're completely cornered. Someone, go and prepare pen and ink!"

(End of this chapter)