"Romance of the Heroes and Beauties"

Author: Wen Kang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: A martial arts romance that challenges Dream of the Red Chamber: Saving his father with gold, An Gongzi travels thousands of miles through hardship, drawing a sword to eliminate villains, the solitary heroine Thirteen Sister breaks into the mountain gate alone, a bow and ink scroll meet, uniting dragon and phoenix in the human world, with both martial spirit and tender heart, depicting heroes and heroines. In the Kangxi and Yongzheng years of the Qing Dynasty, the "refined scholar" An Xuehai took office as a river works magistrate at the advanced age of his prime. Due to his lack of skill in pleasing superiors, he was dismissed and arrested. His son An Ji, upon hearing the news, hurriedly raised funds to rescue him and, by mistake, sought refuge in Nengren Temple, where he narrowly escaped being killed by vicious monks. He was saved only by the female warrior Thirteen Sister, who vowed to avenge her father and struck down the monks. Also saved were the village girl Jin Zhenfeng and her parents. Thirteen Sister acted as a matchmaker, betrothing Jin Zhenfeng to An Ji, and contributed money to help him repel enemies with a bow, ensuring their safe arrival in Huai'an. By then, the case of An Xuehai had been thoroughly investigated by the special envoy, and his injustice had been rectified. However, after this political turmoil, An Xuehai abandoned his official post and, following the clue of "returning the bow and retrieving the ink scroll," found Thirteen Sister. Thirteen Sister's original name was He Yufeng, the daughter of the General He, whom Ji Xiantang had betrayed to his death. Learning from An Xuehai that Ji Xiantang had been executed and the matter resolved, she felt nothing to live for and initially considered becoming a nun. Later, persuaded by the valiant Deng Jiugong and others, she also married An Ji. Under An Xuehai's careful guidance, An Ji passed the imperial examination and, in the following spring, was appointed as an Imperial Secretary. He gradually rose through the ranks, becoming a Hanlin Academician, then a Vice Grand Secretary in the Secretariat and Minister of Rites, and was later appointed as the Academician of Shandong. His reputation for good governance and high position made him nearly equal to the prime minister.