Peng Gong An - The Series of Justice and Chivalry

Author: (Qing) Tan Meng Dao Ren, edited by Nan Guo Zi and others
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Peng Gong was one of the famous upright officials in ancient China, widely celebrated by the people. His stories of solving cases have been passed down through the ages and remain popular. The cases he handled ranged from life-and-death matters to trivial disputes, and after his rulings, people were always pleased. Even today, people still remember this "Bao Qing Tian." This book collects some of his case-solving stories, hoping to inspire and benefit readers. Peng Gong's Cases follows Peng Peng as he becomes the magistrate of Sanhe County, rises to become the governor of Shaoxing, is promoted to the Governor of Henan, and is appointed as the Minister of War to investigate various matters. It narrates how heroes like Li Qihou, Huang Santai, Yang Xiangwu, and Ouyang De assist him in punishing evil, suppressing traitors, and suppressing rebellions. The endings are always the same: the upright official gains imperial favor, and the heroes are rewarded. In the early days of the Republic of China, artist You ShaoTai adapted the same-named novel by Qing Tan Meng Dao Ren for performance.
In the Qing Dynasty, the hero Huang Santai heard that the Emperor Kangxi was ugly and wanted to see him. He went to the capital and, with the help of Wu Qi, the Flying Tiger Commander of the Nine Gates, he pretended to be a military official and accompanied the emperor on a hunt. When Kangxi encountered a tiger, Santai saved him with a golden spear, earning the imperial yellow robe. Upon returning home, Santai invited fellow martial artists to celebrate. Yang Xiangwu, however, felt (discontented), sneaked into the palace, stole the Nine Dragon Cup, and intended to take it to Shaoxing to challenge Santai's reputation. However, he was robbed of the cup by the thief Wang Boyan in a inn in Maozhou. Wang sold the cup to a retired official, who was then robbed by Yuan Long and Yuan Hu from Erlang Mountain, who gave it to Zhou Yinglong, the owner of the Yiyao Village in Yangzhou. When Kangxi lost the cup, he ordered Peng Peng to investigate. Peng went to Santai's place and invited various martial artists to investigate. Yang and Wang revealed the truth, and the heroes went to Yangzhou to persuade Zhou Yinglong to return the Nine Dragon Cup. Zhou refused, so Yang Xiangwu stole the cup again, and the heroes defeated the Yiyao Village, forcing Zhou to flee to Zijin Mountain in Henan. Peng and Huang accompanied Yang Xiangwu back to the capital to return the cup and seek forgiveness. The Prince of Xun did not believe Yang had the skill to steal the cup, so he ordered Yang to steal it back for him. Yang Xiangwu stole the cup three times and was thus absolved of blame. To investigate Zhou Yinglong's refusal to return the cup, the heroes broke into Zijin Mountain and captured Zhou.
The owner of Beixing Village, Hua Deyu, was causing trouble in the area. Peng Peng led the heroes to break into the village and eliminate Hua. Hua's brother Delei fled to Datong and took over Xi Huang Village. Peng Peng went to Datong for a secret investigation but was recognized and imprisoned by Delei. Delei wanted to kill Peng to avenge his brother. The heroes disguised themselves as entertainers and infiltrated Xi Huang Village, killed Delei, and rescued Peng Peng. The female thief Jiu Hua Ni set up an enchanting brothel to lure young men. Peng Peng sent people to investigate and exposed it, and Jiu Hua Ni fled to Jianfeng Mountain, where she married the fifth son of the village head, Jiao Zhenyuan, named Jiao Xin. Huang Santai and Zhu Biao advised Jiao Zhenyuan to give up Jiu Hua Ni, but he refused, so the heroes broke into Jianfeng Mountain, captured Jiao's father and son, and Jiu Hua Ni.
The thief Han Deng from the Flying Dragon Island kidnapped Peng Peng and imprisoned him on the island. The heroes broke into Flying Dragon Island to rescue Peng Peng and then defeated Qing Shui T'an and Lianhuan. Bai Qige from Helan Mountain set up a wooden sheep formation, and the heroes fell into it, with more than half of them killed or injured. After discovering the formation's layout, they broke it. Peng Peng returned to the capital to report to the emperor. The book was passed down by Zhu Yaoliang, Hu Tianru, and others. Pan Boying also adapted the novel for performance in its early days, and his disciple Tang Junlin inherited the tradition.
In Peng Gong's Cases, the protagonist Peng Peng, while solving cases, dares to challenge authority, upholds justice, and (suppresses) corrupt officials, bandits, and local tyrants. At the same time, he creates many vivid characters with distinct personalities. For example, the proud and skillful hero Huang Santai, the rebel who is brave and unafraid of the government but generous and not greedy for wealth, Dou Erdun; the cunning bandit Wu Taishan, who rules the mountain and specializes in robbing homes. These characters are all portrayed vividly and realistically.