Ximen Qing, a nouveau riche in the pharmaceutical industry, relies on his wealth and wealth to cling to the powerful, and expands his empire of desire through competition among his wives (Pan Jinlian, Li Ping'er, Pang Chunmei), collusion between officials and businessmen, and indulgent enjoyment. From prosperity and extravagance to the fall of trees and the dispersal of hozens, the novel uses a cold writing style to analyze the decline of human nature: lust becomes a shackle, money corrodes the soul, and power accelerates destruction. It goes beyond the pursuit of novelties and profoundly reveals the complex darkness of social texture and human nature. It is known as China's first true masterpiece of worldly affairs novels.
