Twenty Years After Dumas comes out on the side of the monarchy in general, or at least the text often praises the "idea" of benevolent royalty. His musketeers are valiant and just in their efforts to protect young Louis XIV and the doomed Charles I from their attackers. The action begins during the regency of Queen Anne of Austria (term 1643–1651), with Cardinal Mazarin as First Minister. D'Artagnan, who seemed to have a promising career ahead of him at the end of "The Three Musketeers", has for twenty years remained a lieutenant, and seems unlikely to progress despite his ambition and the debt
Twenty Years a Dream references, including to Yang Guifei breasts ("lotus kernels") and Yuan Zhen ballad "The Lianchang Palace" (). The story was well-received by literary critics. Early commentators like Wang Shizhen () and Dan Minglun () are in praise of the story's ending in particular, which they describe as "marvellous" and "like hearing the sound of celestial music suddenly cease" respectively. Feng Zhenluan () remarks that the "whole story is ... fragmentary, inconclusive, loose, delicate, exquisite." Zhang Zhenjun compares the protagonist Locket to Lin Daiyu of "Dream of the Red Chamber", while lauding Pu's characterisation. Twenty Years a Dream "Twenty Years a Dream"