The Tusi Rebellion

This volume contains three historical novellas by the author, based on local history from Chuxiong Prefecture in Yunnan Province. "The Art of Officialdom" tells the story of the Ming dynasty thinker Li Zhi during his tenure as prefect of Yao'an. Set in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, "The Calamity of the Prodigy" follows Gao Yingying, the son of Yao'an Prefecture's Gao chieftain, famed as a child prodigy, who becomes the object of a tug-of-war among various political forces, including the Yongli Emperor, General Mu, and Wu Sangui... During the Jiajing era of the Ming dynasty, the policy of replacing native chieftains with imperial officials in Yunnan sparks a power struggle among the chieftains of Wuding Prefecture and drives Feng Jizu into rebellion. The provincial governor Lü and General Mu each pursue their own schemes, while the chieftains of Huichuan and Yao'an Prefectures grow suspicious of and trick one another. Thus begins the Chieftain Rebellion...