Read and Download Chinese martial arts Novels: The Deer and the Cauldron 鹿鼎記
Read and Download Chinese martial arts Novels: The Deer and the CauldronThe story centres on a witty, sly, illiterate and lazy protagonist, Wei Xiaobao, who was born to a prostitute from a brothel in Yangzhou in the early Qing dynasty.
Chin Yung/Jin Yong
The Deer and the Cauldron
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Synopsis:
The story centres on a witty,
sly, illiterate and lazy protagonist, Wei Xiaobao, who was born to a prostitute
from a brothel in Yangzhou in the early Qing dynasty. The teenage scamp makes
his way from Yangzhou to the capital, Beijing, through a series of adventures.
In Beijing, he is kidnapped and taken to the imperial palace, where he
impersonates a eunuch. While in the palace, Wei Xiaobao bumbles his way into a
fateful encounter with the young Kangxi Emperor, the ruler of the Qing Empire,
and develops an unlikely friendship with him.
One day, Wei Xiaobao is
captured by some martial artists and taken out of the palace. He meets Chen
Jinnan, the leader of the Tiandihui ("Heaven and Earth Society"), a
secret society aiming to overthrow the Qing dynasty, and becomes Chen's
apprentice. He also becomes one of the society's branch leaders and agrees to
serve as their spy in the palace. Later, he is taken captive by another group
of fighters, who bring him to Mystic Dragon Island, where the sinister Mystic
Dragon Cult is based. Unexpectedly, he becomes the cult's White Dragon Marshal
by flattering its leader, Hong Antong.
Wei Xiaobao makes a number of
seemingly impossible achievements through sheer luck, cunning, and the use of
unglamorous means such as cheating and deceiving. First, he assists the Kangxi
Emperor in ousting the autocratic regent, Oboi, from power. Second, he
discovers the whereabouts of the missing Shunzhi Emperor, who has been presumed
dead, saves him from danger, and helps him reunite with his son, the Kangxi
Emperor. Third, he eliminates the Mystic Dragon Cult by stirring up internal
conflict, which leads to the cult's self-destruction. Fourth, he weakens the
revolt staged by Wu Sangui by bribing Wu's allies to withdraw, thereby allowing
Qing imperial forces to crush the rebels easily. Finally, he leads a campaign
against the Russian Empire and helps the Qing Empire reach a border treaty with
its northern neighbour. Earlier on, he met the Russian regent, Sophia
Alekseyevna, and helped her consolidate control over the Russian Empire during
an uprising. In the process of accomplishing these tasks, he also recommended
talents to serve the Qing government, one of whom is Shi Lang, the admiral who
led the successful naval campaign against the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan.
Throughout the story, Wei
Xiaobao exhibits devout loyalty to both the Kangxi Emperor and his personal
friends in the anti-Qing forces. He instinctively shields the emperor with his
body from assassins and saves the emperor's life on two occasions. He also plays
an important role in assisting the Kangxi Emperor in consolidating power. On
the other hand, he secretly helps the anti-Qing forces escape from danger on
numerous occasions and undermines the Qing government’s attempts to destroy the
Tiandihui. For his achievements, he is rewarded with immense wealth and titles
of nobility. The highest position he reached is "Duke of Deer
Cauldron" (or "Duke of Mount Deer", which is used as an
alternative English title for the novel). He earns the respect of the anti-Qing
forces for eliminating corrupt officials and defending China from foreign
invasion. On top of his achievements, he also encounters seven attractive women
on separate occasions, flirts and toys with them, and eventually marries all
seven of them.
Wei Xiaobao's conflicting
loyalties ultimately reach a disastrous conclusion. The Kangxi Emperor
discovers his relationship with the Tiandihui, and forces him to choose to
either remain loyal to the Qing Empire or become an enemy of the state. Wei
Xiaobao faces a dilemma: If he chooses to follow the emperor's orders, he will
have to betray his friends from the Tiandihui and help the emperor destroy
them; if he refuses, he faces the possibility of death and the extermination of
his family. He chooses instead to go into exile. However, emperor still regards
him as a close friend and loyal subject so he pardons him and allows him to
return to the palace later. Towards the end of the novel, the emperor tries to
force Wei Xiaobao to help him eliminate the Tiandihui again. On the other hand,
Wei Xiaobao faces an even bigger problem with the Tiandihui. As Chen Jinnan had
died recently, the Tiandihui's members look up to Wei Xiaobao and want him to
be their new leader.
Wei Xiaobao ponders the issue,
realises that he will never be able to reconcile between the two opposing
sides, and feels that his divided friendships and split loyalties are tearing
him apart. He decides to leave and lead a reclusive life, and brings along his
family and immense wealth with him. He is never seen again. It is said that
when the Kangxi Emperor went on six inspection tours to the Jiangnan region
throughout his reign, his true purpose was to search for Wei Xiaobao.
In the epilogue, Jin Yong
wrote that his intention in writing the novel was to reflect societal and
cultural realities instead of encouraging readers to imitate a cunning and evil
protagonist. He considered modifying the ending to make Wei Xiaobao get his
just deserts, but dropped the idea and retained the original ending after receiving
negative feedback from readers.
| Author | Chin Yung/Jin Yong |
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| Finished | Ya |
The Deer and the Cauldron Book 1
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The Deer and the Cauldron Book 2
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The Deer and the Cauldron Book 3
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The Deer and the Cauldron Book 4
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The Deer and the Cauldron Book 5
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