The Wind Carries the Scent of Sweetflag from Afar

New story: "The Golden Step Hairpin and the Xiezhi Crown"

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New pen name: Yu Qingfeng

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It's the summer of 2018. As I revise this blurb, I'm feeling a little complicated and excited.

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The idea for this story, set in the era of Emperor Wu of Han and featuring the harsh official Zhang Tang as one of the male leads, first came to me in the summer of 2009.

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"Chang'an Road" was my first attempt. Looking back now, it had far too many shortcomings from the start. It's just as well that I had to stop writing it because of censorship.

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"The Wind Rises, Carrying the Distant Scent of Duruo" was another attempt, but my real life became too busy, and I had to put writing aside.

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Seven years have passed. I never lost my interest in writing or in this rather niche subject.

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I have some free time this year, so I hope I can write the story and fulfill my wish.

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Seven years have passed. Many of the old plot devices are outdated, and my views on some historical figures and events have changed,

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so I've started a completely new story. The heroine will still transmigrate in her own body, and the male leads will still be Zhai Gong and Zhang Tang, but the plot and Zhang Tang's characterization will be new.

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I've locked the old stories so readers of the old unfinished versions won't form preconceived notions that affect their experience of the new story.

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I've left the first chapter of "The Wind Rises, Carrying the Distant Scent of Duruo" open. If you're interested, you can read it to get a basic introduction to the harsh officials of the Western Han dynasty.

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I chose the pen name "Yan Sheng" in 2010. Now, eight years later, as I prepare to publish a new story, I've discovered that I share the name with an author who has already made a name for herself. To avoid causing other authors unnecessary trouble, I'll leave my old pen name and old stories here in this old home.

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Finally, I wonder if I'll still see any old friends after these seven years.

Long time no see. I'm sorry.

Long time no see. I hope you're all doing well.

My dear angels, see you at my new home!

Below is the blurb for the original version of "The Wind Rises":

A legend is this:

Whenever the wind rises,

I can always catch the distant scent of you.

May you bloom here forever,

in this grand era woven from countless legends.

[Heroine] Du Ruoxi, who transmigrates from 2004 CE to the Western Han dynasty during the reign of Emperor Wu. (She transmigrates in her own body.)

[Male lead] Zhai Yueren, then serving as the Minister of Justice, the highest judicial official in the Han dynasty. (He is the very man behind the idiom "so few visitors that sparrows can gather at the door.")

[Male lead] Zhang Tang, the famous minister under Emperor Wu, and the next Minister of Justice after Mr. Zhai. (Most readers are probably familiar with Zhang Tang: one of ancient China's most famous judges, legal scholars, and harsh officials.)

[Supporting cast] Han Yan, Liu Che, Yi Zong, Lu Yejui, Zhang Anshi, Zhang He, Ji Fu, and others. Other essential historical figures active during the Yuan Guang, Yuan Shuo, Yuan Shou, and Yuan Ding eras of Emperor Wu's reign may also make guest appearances as needed.

This is a transmigration story, a wish-fulfillment story, a romance, and a fictionalized historical tale.

You're welcome to discuss and exchange ideas about the literature, history, geography, and other subjects mentioned in the story in a friendly way, and learn from one another.

Please don't demand that the author know everything and cover every detail. Anyone who nags me with unreasonable demands will be ignored.

P.S. This novel was previously titled "Transmigration: The Rhapsody of Zixu."