It is said that the poem was written by a renowned music teacher, Su Kunsheng of Nanjing, during the reign of Ming Dynasty’s last Emperor, Chongzhen (1628—1644). After Nanjing was lost to the invading Manchus, Teacher Su spent his days as a hermit in the Mountain of Misty Abode, making a living as a woodcutter.

In the tenth year of the first Manchu Emperor, Shunzhi (1653), one Wu Meicun was summoned to the Imperial Court in Beijing, and he met Teacher Su in a remote village when he passed through Nanjing.

Afterwards, Kong Shangren became aware of this poem,...

It was a sunny afternoon in the third month of the sixteenth year of Emperor Chongzhen’s Reign.

An old man of over fifty years of age, and of slightly less than medium height, arrived at a large bookshop in the Three Hills Street of Nanjing City. He stretched his neck and looked into the shop a few times, stroked his short, grey beard and hesitated. Raising his head he saw a horizontal board above the shop, on which was clearly written: ‘Cai Yisuo’s Bookshop’.

He therefore summoned up his courage and asked, ‘Manager! Is Master Hou of Guide Prefecture inside?’...

The young apprentice was Little Dian, a distant nephew of Proprietor Cai. Panting and scared to death, he stumbled in and cried, ‘Unc-cle! The lords . . . the soldiers .. . are beating . . . beating people!’

Licentiate Wu leapt up and said, ‘What? Beating people in broad daylight? I’ll reason with them!’

Proprietor Cai hastened to stop him. ‘Master Wu,’ he said, ‘there is a common saying, “If a scholar meets a soldier, no amount of reasoning would make things clearer.” It is better that I should go out and deal with it.’

Three fellows who appeared...

The gossip about Yang Longyou’s scheme to bring together Hou Fangyu and Purity’s foster daughter, the Perfumed Lady, was already known to Chen Dingsheng yesterday. He could not understand why Yang wished to cultivate Hou’s friendship, and thought there must be something very extraordinary in the whole affair. So, in the same evening he wrote a confidential letter and bade Hu the Second to take it to Hou’s abode at Tongji Gate.

When Hou left Cai Yisuo’s Bookshop to keep the appointment with Secretary Zhou of the Board of Rites, he very much wanted to go to Yang Longyou’s residence...

In the following morning, he arrived at the Home of Enchanting Fragrance to find the black gates tightly shut. Nothing seemed to indicate that people inside were expecting his arrival.

Feeling a little timid, and fearing that Yang Longyou was setting a trap for him to be chided by the Perfumed Lady, he knocked lightly with the bronze door ring.

A young servant came out and said, ‘Oh, it is Master Hou! Your arrival is untimely. Purity and the others have gone to attend the “box meeting” at Aunt Bian’s place. But the lord Yang is inside, it is all...

After the disturbance at the Confucius’ Temple, Hou and his friends picked a quiet place and held a discussion.

Knitting his brow Hou said, ‘Though the incident today is most satisfying, we were a bit rash. If the authorities should take the matter seriously, even Libationer Wang would be punished.’

‘It was my fault,’ Huang confessed. ‘It was I who moved my hands first.’

‘What do you mean by “rash”?’ Wu sneered. ‘If you attacked a tiger without killing it, there will be no end of trouble in future. It is because there are too many of us who are...

The man who tripped over the ropes was none other than Jingang Number Seven. Covered in dust and mud, he quickly picked himself up and made his escape through the bushes without daring to take the main road. Behind him were the monks and cooks all searching for him with lighted lanterns.

Gnashing his teeth, Number Seven swore, ‘Those thieving dogs deserve to die! I have to show them my true colours! “When a white knife enters, a red knife comes out.” Then, they will know I am not so easily intimidated!’

It was only after he had gone past...

On the next day, Ruan Dacheng invited Ma Shiying, the Governor-General of Fengyang, to be his guest. Ruan’s Chief Steward Lai Fu had already been busy for a whole morning. He was an old man with a slight built, a pair of eyes like rat’s, and a silver white beard. He was a clever and sharp fellow.

When Yang Longyou arrived, he was giving instructions to the boy servants to sweep and clean everywhere.

Seeing Yang, he said, ‘Please go to the study. I shall announce your arrival.’

In a short while, Ruan entered. He asked at once, ‘What did...

The visitor was none other than Yang Longyou. During the day he had heard from Su that some very damaging criticisms against him had been voiced in the Cai Yisuo Bookshop. He was unnerved by what he was told and, therefore, came in haste to see Chen Dingsheng, hoping that he would smooth things over.

When Chen saw him, he said, ‘Old sir, you are the busiest person in Nanjing. It is seldom that you find the spare time to visit this humble abode.’

Yang sighed, ‘My brother-in-law Ma Shiying arrived in Nanjing last night, and I have been obliged...

On the first day of the Fifth Moon, in the seventeenth year of Emperor Chongzhen’s Reign, the hubbub in the City of Nanjing was indescribable. Whether it was a major thoroughfare or a narrow lane, crowds gathered everywhere. Calling for their fathers or mothers, they all cried, ‘Hurry, go and see the new emperor!’ The din was the greatest along that stretch of the road from Three Hills Gate, along Three Hills Street and Great Through Road, to West China Gate.

It was said that the new emperor was planning to enter Nanjing through Three Hills Gate and then entered...

The man who emerged from the sedan chair was none other than the cashiered magistrate Yang Longyou. He alighted and gave a salute, holding his fists in front of him.

‘I am on the way to pay you a visit. I did not expect to run into you in the street. What a coincidence!’ he said.

Huang frowned and reluctantly gave a nod. Chen made an exaggerated bow and grinned, ‘Old sir! How good of you still to remember us. We were just about to come and offer you our congratulations! You have done a creditable deed by supporting Prince...

The person dragging Yang Longyou along was a beauty about thirty years in age. She was tall and slim, and wore a rose-red embroidered gauze jacket, matched by a rose-red imported crepe skirt. With her naughty, flirty eyes, she rebuked Yang touchily, ‘Why have you not paid a visit for so long! No one has broken your legs, has one? Unfortunately for you, you run into me today. I shall not spare you!’

Putting on a sad expression, Yang begged, ‘Purity dear, truly I have an urgent matter to attend to. I can’t be late for even a second. Whatever...

Even as Governor-General Ma was holding a conference in his official residence with his confidants, the other great officials in Nanjing were having their own meeting concerning great affairs of state with Shi Kefa and others in the residence of Gao, the President of Population and Revenue.

It was not until the first watch that Shi Kefa was able to return to his lodgings in the Garden of Urban Solitude. There he saw the calling cards of Chen Dingsheng, Huang Taichong, and realized then that they had been waiting at Secretary Zhou’s place since noon. He therefore hurriedly bade his...

Ruan paced the floor in his study and thought things over for a long time. Then, he suddenly raised his thick eyebrows and rolled his eyeballs as if he had found an answer. He half smiled to himself and then burst out laughing loudly, heaving his fat body so much that he fell into his chair. He murmured to himself, nodding his head as he did so, ‘It is easy to deal with these bookworms. It is easy . . .’

Just at that moment his servant entered to announce the arrival of Yang Longyou. He instructed the servant to...

That night the Perfumed Lady slept in the home of old man Su’s landlady. The next morning he hired a small sedan chair and accompanied her to Cai Yisuo’s Bookstore. There, the monkey-faced Hu the Second perceived a young woman inside the sedan chair and mistook her to be Chen Dingsheng’s wife. Quickly limping in to announce her arrival, he found Chen marking a number of essays.

‘Master Chen, your wife has come from the country,’ Hu declared.

Chen was so astonished that he was unable to speak. He ran out to the shop front and saw Su. It was...

After Prince Fu had become Regent, Zuo Maodi was promoted from the Board of War to the Censorate on the recommendation of Ma Shiying. He was, however, not overexcited by his good fortune.

He was highly respected both at court and among the general public for his courage and integrity. It was well-known that as a son he was devoted and dutiful.

When Yang’s sedan chair passed by Zuo’s residence, a number of servants wearing white turbans in mourning was seen at the front entrance in a state of deep sorrow. Several monks were seen entering and coming out.

Greatly...

Seeing that Yang was so frightened he did not know what to do, Ma too became alarmed.

Upon being asked what the matter was, Yang answered, ‘I have just been to the Board of War and received a top secret urgent message. It was despatched by Commander Xu Dingguo who is in charge of the defence of Yellow River. It says that according to the spy’s intelligence, it is a fact that Wu Sangui has turned traitor. Attached to the message is a proclamation displayed in Beijing. I have made a copy of it for you.’

Thus speaking Yang produced...

Ma Shiying entered the study unsteadily.

Yang went forward and asked him, ‘Brother, what does Minister Han want?’ Ma said indignantly, ‘You will never change the foul characteristics of a scholar. There are serious problems which you neglect; instead, you amuse yourself wining and dining in the company of prostitutes. Somebody is about to cut my head off, and you are still unaware of the matter.’

Seeing that Ma was serious, he apprehended that he was not joking, so he hurriedly asked what had happened.

Still angry, Ma shouted, ‘Be off with you! I do not have the time to...

The Emperor had been pressing Ma Shiying to take military actions. Before too long, Ma issued from the Board of War an urgent command for Shi Kefa to depart for the north on an appointed day at the head of the troops of the four garrisons with the object of recovering the lost territories. At the same time, he also sent a top secret despatch to the four garrison commanders, admonishing them to ignore Shi Kefa’s movement orders.

Shi could, of course, perceive that necessary fodder and provisions for his troops were being withheld, and his military orders were disobeyed....

Proprietor Cai had told Chen that on the day before some people were stealthily keeping a watch on the bookshop. When it was beginning to get dark a number of Imperial Guards were seen patrolling in the vicinity, paying particular attention to the shop. For this reason Proprietor Cai became anxious when Huang and Wu failed to return that night. Chen therefore set out before dawn to visit Huang and seek information.

When Huang heard that Wu had returned home yesterday evening, he was badly alarmed, and his limbs went cold. He surmised that things looked bad, but there was...

Emergency breeds cleverness.

Huang escorted Master Liu into a restaurant and told him about the suspicious conduct of the two big men. Then he and Master Liu quickly slipped out through the backdoor. Taking a detour, they returned to their boat.

The boat set sail and travelled for over ten li when it became dark. Huang was afraid that the two men might still be pursuing them, so he and his teacher abandoned the boat and headed towards Hangzhou by road.

Having paid the boatmen heavily and repeatedly admonishing them to keep their movements a secret, the party went on...

Lady Purity said irritably, ‘Here I am vexed to death, and you are smiling! If you continue to smile, see if I won’t pull off your yellow beard!’

It was only then that Yang became serious, ‘You can only blame yourself for what has happened today. You have always spoilt Perfumed Lady despite my warnings. Instead, you argued, “I have neither family nor relations, so I depend on her entirely to take care of me in my old age and when I die. Whom shall I spoil if it is not her?” See? See? Now you have “picked up a...

As it happened, during the day Ruan was giving a banquet for Ma at the Stone Nest Garden when fantasy took hold of him. He thus sent his men to force Perfumed Lady to come and entertain his guests. The result was that she gave him a piece of her mind, with sarcasm hidden or undisguised, right in front of the current Prime Minister. This impertinence enraged Ruan so much that he had her incarcerated in the Stone Nest Garden.

When those on Qinhuai River heard about this, they feared that Perfumed Lady’s very life might be in danger, so...

The man standing at the bow of the boat was indeed Hou Fangyu, who also recognized old man Su.

‘Old Su! Old Su! Why are you here?’ Hou exclaimed.

Though Su had a thousand things to say, he was quite unable to express his thoughts coherently. Without a word, he followed Hou into the cabin.

‘Master Hou, why are you here?’ he asked instead.

Hou removed his cap and said unhappily, ‘If I am not here, where else can I be?’

‘Is the great lord here with his family?’ Su asked.

‘No, no,’ Hou replied. ‘My father is taking refuge...

Breaking into a cold sweat with fear, Hou deeply regretted having set foot in Nanjing. Just as he was about to plead that he was only a small trader, the runners positioned at the entrance to the lane caught hold of him in the same way a falcon would seize a chick. They grabbed him and pressed him onto the ground, shackled his hands and feet with chains, and then placed over his head a cangue weighing twelve catties.

He was taken under escort to the yamen of the Embroidered Guards and locked up in a cell. He found himself...

Ruan spread out his hands and said, ‘Hou is in the prison under the control of the Embroidered Guards. He is not in a military prison. It is not up to me to decide whether to release him or not. What is the use of pestering me?’

Yang saw that he was being rejected out of hand and not being given any room for a graceful retreat. Greatly displeased he spoke heatedly, ‘Hou and I are but ordinary acquaintances. I have come to see you in the middle of the night purely out of regard for the nation! Old Ruan,...

Without giving any response, Ma ordered his servant to hurriedly prepare a sedan chair and headed for the Board of War. Ruan simply ignored his guests and went out with Ma, followed by Yang and the duty officer. Four sedan chairs set off for the Board’s yamen as if on wings.

In the Stone Nest Garden, only Earl Zhao and President Qian remained. They were so shaken by the duty officer’s report that they quite forgot they were guests, and politely saw Ma and Ruan out to their sedan chairs! They then returned to the hall and continued with their...

On the next morning, Ma Shiying petitioned the Emperor to order the transfer of the two Lius’ forces to enter the capital for its defence.

All arrangements to this end had been made. Moreover, the Embroidered Guards had spread out some rather terrifying rumours on the night before, saying, ‘General Zuo Liangyu’s trusted co-conspirators are at court and they plan to block the two Lius’ troops from coming south. They are determined to topple the Prime Minister and advance the cause of the Traitor Zuo. When our investigations clearly reveal the identity of the co-conspirators, they will all be executed...

Yang Longyou hesitated for fear of another tongue-lashing but he could not refuse to go. So he summoned up his courage to pay a call on his brother-in-law.

Unexpectedly, Ma received him in a manner which was at total variance from the way he was ordinarily treated. Having talked amicably about some family matters, Ma finally came to the point. He said that he wanted him to leave the capital at once with his family.

Ma told Yang he was being transfereed to Zheng Hongkui’s Jingkou headquarters in Jiangsu Province as the Commissioner for Maps in the Board of War....

The one who hated Ma and Ruan most was Earl Zhao.

In the beginning, he and Marquis Liu, more than any others, had given their support to these two men in putting Prince Fu on the Throne, getting rid of Shi Kefa, and in reinstating Ruan. However, once they had seized power, he was discarded and ignored. It was therefore only natural that he nurtured a great sense of grievance.

However, Ma and Ruan had now seized firm control of the military forces in the nation. Of the royal clan, only he and Marquis Liu were in possession of some...

The familiar people they saw were Cai Yisuo and Lady Propriety.

Cai was implicated because of his connections with several leading members of the Revival Club. After this, his bookshop was forced to close and the shop premises were sold to another for selling cakes and biscuits. His living quarters at the rear of the shop were forcibly occupied by Chief of the Embroidered Guards Feng Kezong as his private property and without having to pay even a copper. Old Cai was now bankrupt and had no way of making a living, so he moved to live in the countryside...

Let us now return in our narrative to Perfumed Lady’s circumstances after her escape from Nanjing.

Late in the night on the tenth day of the Fourth Moon, she slipped out of the palace and heard that the Manchurian troops had already reached the edge of the city. There was no time for her to even pay a short visit to the Old Quarters, so she just followed the crowds and left through the Tongji Gate in great panic.

Not being able to walk properly because of her bound feet, and not having even an acquaintance to keep her company,...

After about half a month, in the middle of the Twelfth Moon and on a snowy day, old man Su, who was sojourning in the monastery, took off his Taoist habit and walked the distance of ten li to deliver a set of Buddhist sutras to a benefactor on behalf of Jade Lady.

It was snowing when he was halfway home. Quite by chance he saw a teahouse by the side of the road. He thought, ‘I have already had my meal in the benefactor’s house. There is nothing important awaiting me back in the convent. It is better for...

Lu Jingting opened the door to look outside. Hou and Su had truly arrived! Before even brushing off the snowflakes on his clothes, Hou hurried into Perfumed Lady’s room.

Perfumed Lady wore a black silk padded bodice and an olive green crepeline skirt. She retained her petite figure. Though her face seemed a little thinner, but her eyes were just as bright and attractive. With the faintly smiling dimples on her cheeks, she was as beautiful as ever.

Hou was ecstatic! Jumping up and down like a child, he shouted, ‘Perfumed Lady! I didn’t think we were living so near,...

The novel was started in the second half of 1946. It was serialized in the Southeast Daily of Shanghai for a year and a half. In 1948, the title of the novel was changed to The New Peach Blossom Fan, which the New Century Press of Shanghai published. In 1957, a revised edition was published. By now over six hundred and seventy thousand copies have been printed.

Why did I write this long novel at the time? I was motivated by two considerations. First, I feel that a novel not only offers literary enjoyment, it also enriches one’s knowledge of...