Why did a courtesan see the danger in a gift of silver before the celebrated scholars at court?
Li Xiangjun's story is often told as a tragic romance between a famous Qinhuai courtesan and Hou Fangyu, a gifted young scholar from the Fushe society. But the Peach Blossom Fan reveals more than a tale of love and separation: it shows how the hearts of people were corrupted as the politics of the late Ming steadily deteriorated. Ruan Dacheng sent over a trousseau, ostensibly to help the couple, but his real aim was to use Hou Fangyu to whitewash his reputation and win his way back into scholarly circles. Li Xiangjun firmly returned the silver because she understood that a favor paid for with money of questionable origins would forever undermine any claim to integrity.
From returning the silver and guarding the tower, to blood staining the Peach Blossom Fan, and then to factional strife, revenge, and collapse during the Southern Ming's Hongguang reign, this book retells Li Xiangjun's life. She lived among courtesans, yet her mind was clear as a mirror. She had no official rank, soldiers, or power, but under the most immediate pressure, she held fast to her boundaries. Only by understanding the Peach Blossom Fan can we see that the late Ming did not fall because of a single lost battle. It had already been defeated by money, favors, private grudges, and the failure of public authority.
