“There was such a plot in front.” Zhang Ye said, “In chapter 75, Cousin Zhen gathered a bunch of family members to gamble, but think about it, were they really gambling? Cousin Zhen had set up a shooting gallery below Celestial Fragrance Pavilion, allowing young men to compete there. Gambling was just a guise. If one had to insist, Cousin Zhen’s crime is the shooting gallery. This is because it is a very dangerous behavior and signal, but for some reason, ‘Cao Xueqin’ decided that the third charge would be Cousin Zhen’s gambling. Who can explain this to me?”
“This…”
“Was there such a passage?”
“Yes, they were indeed practicing shooting.”
“I also recall it. This was written in an abstruse manner.”
Without Zhang Ye mentioning, many people had not recalled it. They had never thought about it. Now, with him mentioning it, many of those who had read “Dream of the Red Chamber” recalled it!
It’s really true!