The Japanese invaders had not yet recovered from the images of seawater flooding their lands and their homes drifting away with the tide when a new wave of videos, even more devastating to their morale, followed in quick succession.
[After the quake, rescue efforts fail, nuclear leaks—where does the Japanese doomsday mentality come from?]
[Can you believe it? A country hit by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake and a catastrophic tsunami actually let its rescue teams celebrate the New Year, waiting until the next day to head to the disaster zone. The victims waited a full two days, not receiving even a bottle of water from the rescue teams. Even foreign reporters managed to reach the disaster area to interview the survivors, yet the Japanese rescue teams and their leaders were still busy celebrating the New Year and posing for interviews. The nearby Self-Defense Forces remained as motionless as mountains, turning a blind eye to the tragic state of the disaster victims.
To make matters worse, the rescue team’s subsequent actions were jaw-dropping. Two days later, the disaster area was still without water or electricity. Faced with pleas for help from the public, the leaders continued to falsify data. In the end, when caught, they simply followed the usual routine: bow, apologize, and call it a day.]
[Comparison brings clarity. Just a few days later, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck the Gansu region in Zhonghuajia. Within just three minutes, fire trucks and ambulances appeared on the streets in the middle of the night.
Twenty minutes after the quake, emergency protocols were activated in both Gansu and Qinghai. Within thirty minutes, fire rescue teams from Lanzhou, Wuwei, and Baiyin had assembled and were heading to the scene. In under two hours, they reached the epicenter to begin rescue operations. At the same time, the Provincial Party Secretary, the Governor, and local leaders arrived on the front lines to direct the relief work.
By four in the morning, the first wave of People’s Liberation Army rescue troops arrived at the site, swiftly joining the efforts.
By that morning, the victims were already eating hot meals prepared for them by the PLA.
And this doesn't even account for the grassroots organizations that mobilized on their own.]
[Disaster is like military intelligence; a relief operation reveals the soul and combat effectiveness of an army. Disaster relief is not merely the transport of resources or the saving of lives—it is the proper coordination of all forces. On our blue planet, there is, and only is, one such team.]
Zhonghuajia people: "This is our country, our future country. Yes, yes, it’s truly wonderful."
Japanese: "Fake, it’s all fake! I refuse to believe this is our country in the future!"
...
"The light boat has already passed... ten thousand mountains, ha-ha-ha..."
Gu Xiaobai felt a sudden surge of pride.
What’s a mere couple of chapters, four thousand words?
Easy enough. Job done.
With nothing better to do, he pulled out his phone, continuing to scroll through short videos to relax his overworked, fragile nerves.
This time, what caught his eye was...
Gu Xiaobai stared at the screen, fixed on a video of a young lady working out, and found himself unable to look away.
However, he once again failed to notice the notification in his favorites folder: the content creator he followed had just released a major update.
[System detected a new video. Beginning connection to the corresponding world.]
[System connected to the Red Chamber world. Connection successful.]
[System detected insufficient energy. Temporarily disconnecting from the Ip Man world.]
In the Red Chamber plane, the Jia Clan was exceptionally lively that day because their poor relative, Granny Liu, had come to beg for favors.
Dowager Jia leaned back on her cushions, watching her children and grandchildren with a kind expression. She hadn't chatted with anyone her own age in a long time, and seeing Granny Liu brought her genuine joy.
"Since we’ve acknowledged our kinship, don't stand on ceremony. Stay with us for a few more days before you go."
"We have a garden here, too. I'll take you to stroll through it tomorrow."
Dowager Jia sincerely wanted to make a friend, so she invited Granny Liu to stay longer.
"Our place may not be as large as your grounds, but we have a few empty rooms. Stay a few days and tell our old lady here some of the interesting stories from your parts."
Wang Xifeng teased her from the side, while Lady Wang and Aunt Xue played along; the atmosphere was full of warmth and harmony.
In the Grand View Garden, Wang Xifeng made a joke of Granny Liu to amuse Dowager Jia, decorating Granny Liu’s head with a plate of flowers until they were crooked and chaotic.
"I don't know what kind of good fortune my head has cultivated to look so elegant today," Granny Liu laughed. "Though I’m old, I was quite fashionable in my youth, and I loved flowers and powders. Today, I'll be an 'old fashionista'."
Granny Liu’s response provided herself with an exit while giving Wang Xifeng plenty of face. This art of speech not only preserved the atmosphere but doubled the joy of everyone present.
In the Zhuijin Pavilion, the four young ladies of the Jia Clan, Xue Baochai, Xue Baoqin, Lin Daiyu, and Shi Xiangyun sat at the same table. Jia Baoyu, with his bright, radiant face, sat right next to Lin Daiyu. He laughed and chatted with his sisters and cousins, reciting poetry and playing drinking games, clearly enjoying himself.
Among the ladies, Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai, and Shi Xiangyun were the most talented in literature. Yet, Granny Liu, who barely knew a handful of characters, became the focal point of the gathering.
"Old Liu, Old Liu, appetite big as an ox, eat a whole sow and never look up!"
At Wang Xifeng’s specific request, Granny Liu happily played the fool to entertain them, drawing roars of laughter from the room.
If not for the sake of survival, who would, at such an old age, travel thousands of miles to lose their dignity and beg for favors?
Just then, an accident occurred.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. At first, the voices were faint, but as they grew louder, Wang Xifeng was the first to react. She gave a look to her maid, Ping’er, who rose to walk outside.
Before Ping’er could even reach the door, she was nearly knocked over by a servant rushing in.
"It's bad, it's bad! The Heavens—the Heavens have changed their face!"
The servant shrieked as he ran inside, eventually collapsing to his knees before Dowager Jia, stuttering, "Old Ancestor, it’s dire! For some reason, the heavens have... out of thin air... produced a celestial object."
The crowd was stunned. Many of the women, unable to suppress their curiosity, stole glances toward the outside.
Dowager Jia, on her main seat, felt a surge of unease. Seeing this, Wang Xifeng and Lady Wang hurried from the table to her side to shield her. Dowager Jia’s expression turned anxious; the smile she had worn moments ago was gone.
She was worried because she knew full well the internal crises plaguing the Jia Clan. Any minor incident could become the spark that blew the whole house apart.
Feigning composure, she allowed Wang Xifeng and Lady Wang to support her as she strode outside. Standing under the sky, she looked up. True to the servant’s word, a massive Celestial Screen hung in the heavens. Everyone present was struck with shock.
"The Heavens are manifesting! The Heavens are manifesting! A celestial omen—this is a blessing!"
Granny Liu, being a commoner, had no such reservations and immediately knelt to kowtow. Outside the Rongguo Mansion, the common folk did the same, falling to their knees and crying out to the Heavens for blessings and food.
Inside the Imperial Palace, the Emperor was informed by his guards of the celestial omen. Could it be? Was this a manifestation of pity from the Heavens, sent specifically to allow him to break the shackles of a puppet emperor and take hold of the universe?
"Someone! Quickly set up the incense table! I shall burn incense to worship the immortals!"
The Emperor was immensely agitated. He had waited for this day for a long time. Devoid of any real power, even a palace eunuch could ignore him and sell government posts outside the palace walls. What did that mean? It meant he, the Emperor, was not held in any regard at all.
"As long as I haven't reclaimed imperial power from the Retired Emperor, I must endure one more day. I don't want to live this way for another moment."
The Celestial Screen began to play a video.
Title: [Red Chamber: Granny Liu cured my internal mental friction. The three visits to the Rongguo Mansion, the righteous and noble Granny Liu.]
The Emperor was dumbfounded.
"How is it the Rongguo Mansion? And who is this Granny Liu, 'righteous and noble'?"
What happened to the divine guidance helping him reclaim his power?
"Oh, deceitful Heavens! Give me back my inspiration!"