This is the first literary work to portray Yu Maojian, and also the first work to focus on family traditions and education. The Yu family's traditions are considered a model of family education and development by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Yu Maojian was from Rongchang Prefecture, Chongqing, in the Ming dynasty (today's Rongchang District, Chongqing), and settled in the ancient town of Wanling. He passed the imperial examination in 1511, the sixth year of the Zhengde reign, and rose to the post of Minister of Justice. An honest and capable official who was upright and incorruptible, he was praised as “the most honest official under heaven.” Over the centuries, the Yu family's fine rules and teachings nurtured many outstanding members of the clan. During the Ming and Qing dynasties alone, 322 of them earned official degrees, and many upright, incorruptible officials who enforced the law impartially emerged from their ranks.
