In the fourteenth year of the Shaoxing era, the Lu family of Lin'an Prefecture and the Tang family of Shanyin joined together in marriage. Lu You and his cousin Tang Wan had been childhood sweethearts, and their shared love of poetry and literature blossomed amid the spring scenery of Shen Garden. When Tang Wan came of age, Lu You's mother arranged their marriage on the grounds that a union between relatives would strengthen family ties. Three years later, however, she forced Lu You to divorce Tang Wan, claiming that she hindered his career and prevented him from having children. Zhao Shicheng's pursuit of Tang Wan concealed factional struggles within the imperial court, while Lu You's failure in the imperial examinations led to a major corruption scandal in the Ministry of Rites. Their reunion in Shen Garden inspired the tearful exchange of poems known as “The Phoenix Hairpin.” Tang Wan died near the end of Qin Hui's domination of the court, while Lu You went on to serve in various official posts and witnessed the great victory at Caishi. He eventually retired to Jianhu during the Qingyuan era's purge of political factions. Spanning four decades, this love story of life and death intertwines the oppression of women under Cheng-Zhu Confucianism, the political calculations behind aristocratic marriages, and the corruption and decay of the examination system, recreating the struggles and spiritual aspirations of the scholar-official class in the early Southern Song.
The helplessness of worldly affairs and the necessity of deep love are all entangled in the author's writing. The author's delicate descriptions portray the characters' affection and helplessness in a moving way.
The helplessness of worldly affairs and the necessity of deep love are all entangled in the author's writing. The author's delicate descriptions portray the characters' affection and helplessness in a moving way.