Which of the four classical novels represents the highest peak of China's ancient novels?

A Dream of Red Mansions is a masterpiece with world influence. It is recognized as the pinnacle of China's classical novels, an encyclopedia of feudal society in China and a master of traditional culture. With the rise and fall of Jia, Wang, Shi and Xue as the background, the family affairs and leisure of Jia's family as the main line, and the love and marriage stories of Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai as the main line, the novel describes the beauty and tragedy of the twelve women in Jinling, praises the rebels who pursue light, foresees the inevitable demise of feudal society through the tragic fate of the rebels, and reveals the desperate crisis of feudal society.

A Dream of Red Mansions has a preliminary democratic thought. He deeply criticized the real society, including the darkness of the court and officialdom, the decay of feudal nobles and their families, the feudal imperial examination system, marriage system, handmaiden system and hierarchy system, and the corresponding social ruling thoughts, namely, Confucianism and social morality of Confucius and Mencius, and put forward vague ideals and propositions with preliminary democratic nature. These ideals and concepts are the tortuous reflection of the budding factors of the growing capitalist economy at that time. [3]

A Dream of Red Mansions, with the theme of "talking about love and recording things", encourages itself to follow its logic, get rid of old stereotypes, be fresh and unique [1], and has achieved extraordinary artistic achievements. In particular, the special brushwork of "the truth is hidden, and the village words are false" has aroused the strong curiosity and prying desire of later readers, and all kinds of speculations about marginal notes are becoming more and more bizarre.