Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting with a Chronicle of Tragic Love

Three more days passed.

In Jinling City.

The tavern was bustling with people, all gathered around the storyteller, eager to hear the latest tale he had written—"The Double-Sword Hero."

The story tells of the chivalrous Jiao Si, who single-handedly fought against a group of Japanese soldiers, achieving victory against overwhelming odds and overcoming the strong with the weak.

The storyteller slammed his gavel on the ground with great enthusiasm.

"It is said that Jiao's eldest son, by instinct, took advantage of the Yifu Gorge to escape to safety."

"But when he saw a group of refugees behind him, with young children crying for food and couples reluctant to part, he was filled with the thought of a saint."

"With two large swords in hand and a heart full of passion, I felt I couldn't bear to do anything about it."

"The broadsword in his left hand is called Tiger Crouching, a family heirloom of Liu Ting, the top martial arts champion of the current dynasty. It weighs fifty-five catties. Although it has no sharp edge, it relies on its immense weight to smash horizontally and vertically. Whenever it strikes, men and horses are shattered."

"The great sword in my right hand is named Ding Tang. It was used by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty when he swept across the land and pacified the world. When this sword was drawn, the majestic power of the Tang Dynasty was awe-inspiring and righteous, subduing the barbarians. When it clashed with the demonic sword of the Japanese, it broke their bones and shattered their steel."

"Jiao Si relied on these two swords and risked his life to pave a way for the people on Plum Blossom Mountain to survive. He first killed dozens of Japanese pirates, and then, with his remaining body, he perished together with the Japanese chieftain Sangdao, falling off the cliff of Plum Blossom Mountain."

Before falling off the cliff, he recited a verse: "Where there is lamentation and blood, there is blood; all for one thought is to save the people..."

Therefore, the story takes place in Jinling City, and whenever the storyteller is on stage, there are always a few poor people in the audience speaking with Liaodong accents, wiping away tears and sighing, which adds to the realism of the story.

As a result, everyone was talking about it.

The poor, the poor, and those whose ambitions are not realized are the most affected.

The news spread like wildfire among the storytellers of Jinling City.

At first, it was only mentioned occasionally in a few teahouses and taverns, but in just a few days, it became the hottest topic in Jinling City.

The storytellers each used their unique skills to embellish the story, making it sound incredibly fantastical.

Juxianlou in the south of the city.

"Do you all know why Jiao's eldest son had such courage? It turns out that the night before, he stayed at a dilapidated temple on Plum Blossom Mountain, where Lord Yue appeared and personally carved the four characters 'Serve the Country with Utmost Loyalty' on his back!"

"What a pity...what a pity...alas!"

The audience was completely engrossed in the story, but when they suddenly saw the storyteller adopting this posture, they were filled with unease.

"Storyteller, just tell your story, what's the pity?"

The storyteller closed his folding fan, his face full of bitterness.

"It's a pity that this master swordsman Jiao Si, like Master Yue, was also murdered by treacherous people!"

"The court has bestowed titles and rewards upon everyone from Plum Blossom Mountain, but has not uttered a single word about this double-sword master who risked his life in battle. Tell me, isn't that laughable?"

"And then there's Qian Chou's nephew, Qian Qianyi. Back in the mountains, he was nothing but a spineless coward, a selfish and self-serving traitor, yet because his uncle usurped a high position, he was unjustly bestowed the title of 'Exemplary Scholar of Jinling City.' It's truly...sigh!"

The crowd erupted in fury.

"Is that so?"

An old man carrying a load wiped away his tears and spoke in a Liaodong accent.

"That's right. If it weren't for this billion, the three of them—Master Jiao, Scholar Liu, and Young General Feng—wouldn't have ended up like this."

"It was only because Qian Qianyi exposed Liu Zhuangyuan's weakness, thus ruining Liu Zhuangyuan's martial arts; that General Feng was forced to flee far away and go down the mountain to seek reinforcements. Otherwise, why would Master Jiao have stood alone in front of Yifu Gorge?"

"If this man possessed even a fraction of Jiao Daxia's courage, how could he have allowed the Japanese pirates to run rampant like this!"

"That son of a bitch has billions in money, he's a real bastard!"

"If I ever see him, I'll give that bastard a good beating! Is this what they call a model scholar? The scholars of our Great Yi Dynasty... sigh!"

Seeing the enthusiastic response from the crowd, the storyteller nodded in satisfaction.

Seeing several soldiers approaching in the distance, he quickly turned around and went inside the building to change his clothes.

In the east of the city, there is the "Spring Breeze Pavilion".

"That Tiger Crouching Saber is a family heirloom of Liu Ting, the former martial arts champion. Back in Liaodong, it drank the blood of hundreds of barbarian donkeys. The Ding Tang Saber is even more extraordinary. When Emperor Taizong wielded this saber to pacify the four directions, wherever its blade pointed, the barbarians all knelt in submission. Now that the two sabers have been combined, it is truly the will of Heaven to destroy the Japanese pirates!"

Inside the restaurant, someone asked loudly, "Sir, since Master Jiao is such a hero, why don't our soldiers from Jinling go to his aid?"

Upon hearing this, the storyteller glanced meaningfully at the audience, gently lowered his gavel, and hushed his voice.

"Well, this old man is not in a position to say much about this. I have only heard that the Japanese pirates of Plum Blossom Mountain appeared out of nowhere and blocked all our retreat routes."

"As for how the Japanese pirates knew the route to Plum Blossom Mountain, and how they knew the route taken by the people of Plum Blossom Mountain... I heard that it was all related to a scholar surnamed Qian."

"No, no, no, please don't make wild guesses!"

"He is definitely not the newly emerging paragon of scholars in Jinling City, the young master Qian Qianyi!"

The room erupted in uproar.

Seeing the crowd's agitation, the storyteller chuckled softly and went inside.

In a private room upstairs, a burly man was sitting with his legs crossed, eating wine with a plate of peanuts.

Upon seeing the storyteller enter, he quickly stood up.

"Hurry up and talk, are you done here too?"

The storyteller nodded.

"It's over!"

"Now, the four cities—east, west, south, and north—have all been discussed. With each retelling, the crowd grows increasingly indignant, wishing they could devour billions of coins whole!"

The burly man nodded.

"In that case, I, Ni Er, can now properly explain myself to Grandma Lian Er."

-----------------

Qian Zhengduan was a well-known upright man in Nanjing.

This elderly man, well into his sixties, though from a wealthy family, never flaunted his riches. He loved to wear a faded blue cotton gown and sit at the "Juxianlou" in the south of the city or the "Chunfengge" in the east, chatting and drinking tea with peddlers, teachers, and retired soldiers. He often said, "The most vibrant atmosphere in this world isn't found in grand mansions, but in the aroma of tea in the marketplace."

But these past few days, Qian Zhengduan has felt uneasy all over.

First was Mr. Zhang from "Juxianlou". In the past, when he came, he would always come up to greet him personally and call out "Old Qian" with a smile. But today he just nodded from afar and turned to greet other tea drinkers.

Qian Zhengduan initially didn't take it seriously, assuming the other party was busy, and sat down in his usual spot.

Several old tea drinkers at the next table were talking about something, but they suddenly fell silent when they saw him arrive.

"Old Li, the game of chess from yesterday isn't over yet," Qian Zhengduan said with a smile to the cloth shop owner across the street.

Manager Li picked up his teacup and mumbled, "Ah, there are still some accounts to settle today. We'll settle them another day." With that, he got up, hurriedly paid the bill, and left.

Qian Zhengduan was stunned.

This continued for three days in a row.

Mr. Zhao of Tingyuxuan in the north of the city was a friend of Qian Zhengduan for more than 20 years. They even spent a few days together at the academy when they were young.

Yesterday, Qian Zhengduan went to listen to his storytelling. After the performance, he wanted to go up and catch up with him, but Mr. Zhao acted as if he didn't see him. He lowered his head, tidied up his gavel and folding fan, and turned to go into the back room.

What alarmed Qian Zhengduan even more was yesterday afternoon.

Under the willow trees along the Qinhuai River, several children were playing hopscotch, singing a nursery rhyme. Qian Zhengduan, who had been smiling as he watched, stopped to listen and heard the lyrics clearly:

"Blood stained Plum Blossom Mountain, Jiao Lang fought the Japanese pirates with his twin swords... Wine in the government office, songs and laughter at night, who cares about the life and death of the common people?"

That was fine, but the children continued singing:

"The Qian family's sons are as cowardly as mice, hiding their heads like turtles, too afraid to come out. When the Japanese pirates came, they fled in terror, leaving behind a house full of gold and silver but nothing but dirt."

Qian Zhengduan's smile froze on his face.