Chapter 326 - A Plot No One Dares to Touch in ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’! (1/2)

In the Grand Auditorium.

The Peking University students all revealed expressions of admiration.

Just as Zhang Ye’s theory was increasingly taking the upper hand, and just as he was about to end the second cla.s.s on a high note, a voice echoed.

“Zhang Ye.” It was the Redologist, Teacher Yang.

Zhang Ye looked at him. “Teacher Yang, please speak.”

Zhang Ye did not know him, but this person had doubted him on Weibo. His tone was not very polite, and he had used his picture for his Weibo picture, so Zhang Ye recognized him at a glance. This person was very authoritative and influential in the world of Redology. It was the same with Yan Yu. Previously when he was questioned, he had used “Vice President Yan”. The Vice President of the nation’s Writers’ a.s.sociation was naturally famous. Zhang Ye had already adapted to this brand new but slightly different world. He was no longer as unfamiliar to this world’s celebrities. He was no longer like he had been in the past where he did not know anything. He was slowly learning and familiarizing himself with this Earth’s people and matters.

Teacher Yang did not ask him directly, but deliberately paused for two seconds. Maybe it was to let the focus fall on him and for the cameras to train themselves on him.

He was in frame!

The Peking University students’ gaze were on him!

Only then did Teacher Yang say slowly, “I have basically not talked from the beginning. I was listening to you speak and I have to admit that your a.n.a.lysis and understanding has reached a certain standard. However, I’m not sure if others have noticed it. You have been using counter examples. For example, how the Jia family was convicted of their crimes. You are using a method of denying the logical conflict that exists in the chapters after the eightieth and the first 80 chapters to prove your point. This is not comprehensive and just single-faceted. Hur Hur. Let us use the simplest method. We can actually use this method to prove that your theory is unreliable.”

Zhang Ye smiled and said, “Sure. Please do tell.”

Teacher Yang hissed in his heart. However, he said very casually, “You think you can explain everything? That’s a bold claim! Let me tell you the secret and problem in ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ that no one can fully explain!”

Zhang Ye only smiled and remained silent.

A young Redologist said, “Teacher Yang, since Teacher Zhang Ye has the confidence and knowledge, then why don’t you ask him a logical problem in the first 80 chapters that cannot be explained?”

Teacher Yang said, “Yes, I’ll ask that.”

These two sang to each other’s tunes and were quite harmonious.

Zhang Ye smiled without a word. He gave a posture of listening devoutly and respectfully.

Wu Zeqing turned her head to look at Teacher Yang before turning her head back.

Chang Kaige and Zhen Shuquan were all worried for Zhang Ye. This bunch of people had studied “Dream of the Red Chamber” nearly all their lives. At the least, they had studied for five to six years. Their logical reasoning and a.n.a.lysis might not be better than yours, but they were still experts at picking errors!

Little Zhang, can you do it well?

Don’t stumble here!

Everyone had different expressions. All of them were thinking differently!

Teacher Yang spoke as he stared at Zhang Ye. “Since you said that only the first 80 chapters of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ were written by Cao Xueqin, and said that the problems in the first 80 chapters were minor errors that Mr Cao failed to modify in time, but a character’s personality exists through the entire text, so there cannot be any mistakes. You gave an example of how Grandmother Jia had a change in personality after chapter 80, and how Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu changed personalities after the eightieth chapter. This was all what you previously stated, right?”

Zhang Ye said, “Yes, of course.”

“Alright.” Seeing that he had taken the bait, Teacher Yang crossed his legs and said, “Since you just mentioned the matter of Jia Zheng’s crime, then you must know that in this plot segment, there was another story. It’s the problem with Jia Baoyu’s poem. Why did you purposely avoid it?”

Jia Baoyu’s poem?

Everyone gasped!

Holy sh*t! Can you not be so ruthless!? You actually asked this?

Chang Kaige and the other lecturers of the Chinese department immediately turned blue in the face!

Yan Yu did not expect Teacher Yang to directly ask this question. This was the truly fatal question!

Senior Song was slightly stunned. Previously, when she met the Jins.h.i.+ female reporter outside, she had said in her interview about her thoughts on this problem. She was wondering if Teacher Zhang Ye would avoid this logical error in today’s cla.s.s. Apparently, Zhang Ye did not mention this throughout the cla.s.s, so Senior Song did not plan on asking. She was afraid that Teacher Zhang Ye would be shamed if he failed to answer it were she to ask, but who knew that someone else had asked the question!

Teacher Yang looked relaxed. “That is the question I wanted to ask. This is a major logical error. And this happened before chapter 80. What was written in chapter 78? Jia Zheng suddenly called his two sons and a grandson to compose poetry before him. And what was the topic? He got them to compose a poem to praise a woman, Fourth Sister Lin. She was also known as the Winsome Colonel. This was written clearly in the text. Jia Huan later wrote a poem. Jia Lan also wrote one. Jia Baoyu also did it. He wrote a long ballad. He even went to great lengths to praise Winsome Colonel. During the process, some of Jia Zheng’s guests also applauded him. Finally, Jia Zheng also praised him. Now, here comes the problem. What’s the matter with Fourth Sister Lin? The story was in Qing-zhou. There was a Prince Heng, who recruited a large number of beautiful women to train in military arts. The leader was Fourth Sister Lin. Later on, when a horde of bandits started to rebel, the city walls could not hold. Many people wanted to surrender to the rebels, but Fourth Sister Lin led the female army out, but died in combat. Hence, Fourth Sister Lin was a leader who suppressed the peasant uprising!”

These was known by everyone. They listened quietly.

Teacher Yang was afraid there were people who did not understand, so he said, “But what kind of artistic image does Jia Baoyu have? He was very against the feudal system of that era! He was anti-Manchu, but here, Jia Baoyu actually praised the leader who suppressed a peasant uprising? At this point, this character’s personality suddenly collapsed. Zhang Ye, don’t you explain it away as Cao Xueqin not having edited this after he finished writing. That won’t do. Besides, didn’t you say that Jia Baoyu’s artistic image had been destroyed in the chapters after the eightieth? He changed personalities, but you have to know, that the change in the chapters after the eightieth were at least described. There was a private tutor teaching him, that led him to study eight-legged poems, but what about the first 80 chapters? There was no foreshadowing or explanation, right? Since you boasted that Cao Xueqin did not make a mistake because of his illness, then I would like to hear your explanation about Jia Baoyu’s poem!”

“Right. Tell us!” The young Redologist said with a sneer.

“That’s right Zhang Ye. There’s a problem here. How can you explain this?” Meng Dongguo said.