Heartstone (Gao Yang's Work Series)

Author: Gao Yang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-07-01
Features: In the middle of the Qing Dynasty, the impoverished scholar Tao Shu and the daughter of his tutor, Sun Boquan's Qiao Jun, were about to marry as arranged by their parents. However, the local wealthy Wu family interfered and snatched Qiao Jun away. Sun's family, greedy for wealth, readily complied. Tao Shu had no choice but to call off the marriage, and with the help of Sun's mother, he instead married Qiao Jun's maidservant, Qiu Ling, who was also Sun's adopted daughter. Later, Tao Shu passed the imperial examination and rose to become the Governor of Jiangsu. Meanwhile, the Wu family fell into ruin. The once "beautiful lady of Anya," Qiao Jun, failed in her suicide attempt and spent her remaining days in solitude, surrounded by books. Truly, life is like a play, and a play is like life. While the performers on stage were still celebrating promotions, the head of the Chunxi Opera troupe, Lao He, had already put on his red-tasseled hat and quietly asked his follower: "Second Master, when it comes to lighting the red lantern, should we first invite the Governor or the guests?" "Of course, the guests." "The guest's surname is Zhu. Should I call him Lord Zhu or Grand Secretary Zhu?" "Grand Secretary Zhu. He is currently the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, just like the Governor, so he should be called Grand Secretary Zhu." "Isn't the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War an imperial official? How could he have been in Zhejiang for so long?" "You don't understand this! This Grand Secretary Zhu—" This "Grand Secretary Zhu" is Zhu Shiyan, styled Xiucheng, also known as Yongzhai. He is from Baoying, Jiangsu, and was the third-place winner of the imperial examination in 1822 (Renxu year of the Jiaqing reign). He is currently the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and was appointed as the Education Commissioner of Zhejiang in 1825 (Wuyear of the Daoguang reign).