Chapter 308 - One bombshell after another! (1/2)

Senior Song spoke, “It might be a coincidence, and not considered evidence.”

Zhang Ye shook his head, “Coincidence cannot explain it. The only explanation is that only 80 chapters of Cao Xueqin’s ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ were transmitted and seen by Gao E. He seriously studied it and then carried on writing the story. Gao E was very lucky. He saw a more complete ancient version of the 80 chapters that none of us have ever seen. Of course, there are things that he modified and filled in the blanks, but there were no major changes.”

Senior Song insisted, “Then why couldn’t it be Gao E obtained the 120 ancient chapters of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ before arranging and publis.h.i.+ng it?”

Zhang Ye did not answer the question, but rather asked, “Has anyone heard of a person known as Zhiyanzhai (Red Inkstone)?”

Senior Song shook her head.

Many Peking University students also shook their heads.

Only a History department junior said in a crisp voice, “I think there was an ancient text. I remember the name as ‘Zhiyanzhai’s Second Annotations to The Story of the Stone’. However, this ancient book only had a few rounds of circulation only. It is extremely incomplete. The comments in it are all baffling, so many expert scholars and Redologists do not count it as an ancient text. They find that it lacks the authority, and might have been blindly written.”

The students checked on the internet, and indeed, there was such an ancient text.

“Well said.” Zhang Ye smiled. “Zhiyanzhai’s ancient book is not looked up to by people because of two reasons. First, it’s because it’s too incomplete, and second, because it’s hard to understand. Hence, no one has seriously researched it. Even if one were to research it, it would be in pa.s.sing, without paying close attention to it. Hur Hur, but I have something to tell everyone now. You can’t say he blindly wrote it just because you can’t understand it. This would be disrespectful to academia in itself. Actually, Zhiyanzhai’s ancient text is the only version of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ that has been spread down with the greatest authority!” In his previous world, Zhiyanzhai’s ancient text was pa.s.sed down with the most complete and detailed evaluations. He had seen the original version before!

“How can it be!?” Senior Song refused to believe.

Many Peking University students also shook their heads.

Zhang Ye said with a mocking smile, “You say that Zhiyanzhai was just blindly writing? It is only because the people who researched Zhiyanzhai’s ancient book could not understand what he was saying. Others might not understand, but I do. I believe if everyone keeps thinking based on the establishment that ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ only has 80 chapters, you will also be able to understand it.” He took out another piece of information. It was information readily available in this world. Although Zhang Ye had seen the original versions of Zhiyanzhai’s ancient text, most of it had been lost in this world. He could not use that as proof, and could only use available evidence.

Everyone looked up.

Zhang Ye pointed to the projector, “Zhiyanzhai had this comment, Jia Baoyu later ends up ‘choking on sour porridge in the dead winter, sobbing in a winter night covered in rags’. I want to ask, in the first 80 chapters of the 120 circulated chapters of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’, was there ever such an episode? No! Was there any such an episode in the last 40 chapters? Also no!” He then pointed, “Zhiyanzhai’s comments also included the fact that Xiaohong ‘had helped Baoyu’ in the ‘The Temple of the Prison G.o.d’, but was there such an episode in the last 40 chapters? Also no! Even ‘The Temple of the Prison G.o.d’ did not appear in the last forty chapters! In addition to this, Zhiyanzhai even mentioned in his comments a t.i.tle of one of the chapters after the eightieth. It was called, Xue Baochai, borrowing phrases, admonished; w.a.n.g Xifeng, reckoning fate, made a heroic stand. Was there such a t.i.tle in the last 30 chapters? Still no!”

Senior Zhou said, “This evaluation itself is not authoritative.”

Zhang Ye retorted, “Then what is authoritative? An ancient piece of literary information is not considered authoritative, but a Redologist’s research ends up being authoritative? Is there any logic to that? When we study ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’, we need to rely on existing information. Also, do you think an ancient person like Zhiyanzhai had nothing better to do? He wrote some brainless things just to mislead everyone?”

“Uh, about that…” Senior Zhou was stumped.

Senior Song argued, “Maybe Zhiyanzhai interacted with Cao Xueqin before and thought that Cao Xueqin would write it in this manner. A plot and t.i.tle was revealed to him, and in our present day language is considered an outline, but it is very possible that Cao Xueqin did not write in accordance with his original intentions!”

Zhang Ye looked towards her and said, “Don’t you feel that Zhiyanzhai’s tone in his comments were too affirmative? His tone was not talking a bit about Cao Xueqin’s ideas in some hearsay manner, but like he had read or known the story after the first 80 chapters! Zhiyanzhai was very sure! Hence, Zhiyanzhai’s comments cannot be understood by people. This is because in this story, after the first 80 chapters of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’, it was not the original intent or written by Cao Xueqin, but followed up by Gao E. Zhiyanzhai is a key person in the study of Redology. ‘He’ might have been Cao Xueqin’s wife or Cao Xueqin’s father, or even Cao Xueqin’s close friend. We do not know the specific details, but we can be sure of one thing. This Zhiyanzhai was not a person who copied ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ after simply borrowing it! You can tell from the comments! Zhiyanzhai was involved in the entire creation process of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’! He had read, communicated, and discussed with Cao Xueqin before writing those comments!”

Another bomb!

It set off once again in the auditorium!

Zhiyanzhai, who was never really paid attention to by Redologists, actually ended being said by Zhang Ye to be the most authoritative person who had partic.i.p.ated in the creation of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’?

You just won’t give up unless you say something astonis.h.i.+ng!

The Peking University students were once again pelted by bombsh.e.l.l shrapnel. They looked blankly at each other!

A Peking University female student from the History department argued, “Even if what you said is reasonable, there is no historical records of a person like Zhiyanzhai. It is just a pen name. He comes from unknown origins. We don’t even know if he is male or female. Of course, we can’t believe his words. We cannot use it as evidence.”

Zhang Ye was amused, “I can’t accept what you just said. From the comments, we can already tell that Zhiyanzhai and Cao Xueqin are extremely close. We just do not know the exact ident.i.ty of Zhiyanzhai. He is not someone of unknown origins. If we consider Zhiyanzhai to be someone of unknown origins, then according to what you said, then Cao Xueqin himself is also a person of unknown origins. In academia and Redology, no one actually knows if Cao Xueqin is Cao Yong’s son or Cao Fu’s son. Hence, ident.i.ty cannot be used as rhetoric to deny evidence.”

Cao Xueqin’s ident.i.ty was also unknown?

The face of female student from the History department changed colors before she finally sat down crestfallen.