Xie Yuan, courtesy name Huiliu, was the master of Jigu Pavilion, known as the Old Man Baoweng, the second son of the Xie family, a fisherman on the Jushui River, and a Daoist of the town. He was from Changguang Commandery, in what is now Qingzhou, Shandong Province. A thinker, classicist, historian, bibliographer, and book collector during the fictional period between the Song and Liang dynasties.
This is a historical political-strategy novel. The protagonist has some fictionalized traits, but is not all-knowing or all-powerful. The novel draws heavily on ancient texts and includes historical research. Readers are welcome to leave comments if they spot anything that has not been thoroughly researched.
The author strives to portray historical figures faithfully and expand on real historical events. To accommodate the story, historical facts are often blended together, so please don't hold it against the author if identities and events get mixed up.
The author also strives to recreate the historical figures' real-life settings, geography, local customs, and the many details that history books only mention in passing. If any research is insufficiently detailed, fellow book lovers are welcome to offer suggestions.
This is not a rambling novel, a formulaic novel, or a paint-by-numbers serial. The language aims to be concise and solid, and the prose tight and focused. If anything doesn't make sense, please point it out.
The author's writing skills are limited, but they hope to keep improving. The author will take everyone's reviews seriously and use them to improve the novel.
Writing is not easy, and the author will keep polishing the work in hopes of giving readers a better experience.
Finally, thanks again to all the readers. May you grow alongside Xie Yuan, sharing both his advances and setbacks.
