To mark the tenth anniversary of Wenhou’s debut, the Wuzhou Daily ran a special feature, interviewing several famous people and asking what they thought of Jing Wenzhen, the novelist beloved by the people of Wuzhou:
Wu Zhao: These days, I have no interest in Taoist immortality pills. I’m only interested in potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes from the Americas, which taste good no matter how you cook them. I can provide the fleet. Who wants to sail across the sea?
Princess Taiping: I’d love to transmigrate to the Song dynasty and become a general like Fu Hao, then slaughter the Jin invaders!
Shangguan Wan’er: I thought court intrigue was difficult. Now I realize criminal investigations, forensic science, mysteries, and horror are all difficult, too.
Princess Anle: I’m going to roam the martial world and become its leader! I cordially invite martial arts experts to come to the princess’s residence and teach me their greatest skills!
Di Renjie: The writing is nothing special, but the stories are truly wonderful. Lady Jing seems to have seen more corpses than I have.
Yao Chong: Punctuation is so useful! Cotton is so warm! Papermaking and printing are a blessing to poor students! Learning through novels is so easy!
Song Jing: Food novels are delicious… I mean, they’re a great read. I need to study more and become the best cook in Wuzhou!
Guo Ziyi: The women generals of the Yang family died so tragically, sob! The Six Heroes of Shu Mountain died so tragically, sob! I absolutely cannot let anything like that happen in Wuzhou!
The Wuzhou Daily then asked Wenhou: What do you think about the impact your works have had on Wuzhou?
Jing Wenzhen: Well, I’m grateful for your support. Please stop asking when the next chapter is coming, and please stop sending me swords and knives. Thank you!
【Important notes:】
· This story takes place in an imagined Wuzhou dynasty and differs from actual history. Don’t treat it as historical fact. It’s a novel, for entertainment only!
· The novels within the story are original, not copied from other works. However, the story will certainly quote classical poetry and draw on folk legends, opera, and history. The author’s notes will provide details.
· “Wenzhen” was the highest posthumous title for civil officials before Emperor Renzong of Song. For example, Song Jing’s posthumous title was “Wenzhen.”
After Emperor Renzong of Song, “Zhen” was changed to “Zheng” because it sounded the same as Zhao Zhen’s given name. Thanks to Sima Guang’s strong endorsement, “Wenzheng” became the highest posthumous title for civil officials in later dynasties, with “Wenzhen” ranking just below it. In ancient times, this title was only bestowed on men, and anyone named Wenzhen was also male. The female protagonist has this name so she can be granted a noble title as a writer; it has no other significance.
*The blurb was written on April 19, 2024. It may be lightly revised later, but the core premise will not change.
Theme: Good literature can have a positive impact on society