[6] Yang readily agrees to defend her; the following day, he dreams of a hideous being "with bristling moustaches, wearing a red hat and a black gown" attacking him and Locket.

[7] Locket confirms that the events of the dream were in fact real, and presents Wang with her father's dagger as a token of appreciation.

"[9] "Twenty Years a Dream" is believed to be one of the earlier entries Pu wrote for Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Liaozhai).

"[11] Pu also makes a handful of cultural references, including to Yang Guifei's breasts ("lotus kernels")[12] and Yuan Zhen's ballad The Lianchang Palace (連昌宮).

"[12] Zhang Zhenjun compared the protagonist Locket to Lin Daiyu of Dream of the Red Chamber, while lauding Pu's characterisation.