The Complete Story of Yue Fei (Vernacular Edition): An Old-Style Romance of the Loyal Yue Fei

This book is a popular, plain-language translation of The Complete Story of Yue Fei. It begins with the story of the Golden-Winged Great Peng King, a guardian deity beside the Tathagata, who is banished to the mortal realm to repay an injustice. It follows Yue Fei, the reincarnation of the divine bird, from his birth and martial training to his enlistment in the army, where he leads the Yue Family Army to defeat the Jin forces time and again, quell rebellions and banditry, and serve his country with unwavering loyalty. Yet this tragic hero is ultimately framed and killed by the treacherous minister Qin Hui on the fabricated charge of 'some nonexistent crime.' The final twenty chapters shift from the revelation of the wrongful case to a joyous revenge and mythic conclusion, offering a redemptive ending to the legendary story of the loyal and dutiful hero Yue Fei.

At the end of the story, Yue Fei is posthumously honored as the King of Loyalty and Martial Valor, and his title is placed atop his tomb. Qin Hui and his accomplices are punished and cast into the underworld, while the karmic cycle of Yue Fei's past and present lives reaches its fulfillment. The Golden-Winged Great Peng returns to its place atop the Tathagata's crown, bringing the story to a close. The novel is full of legendary color, with lively plots and richly drawn characters, and is well worth reading.