The Legend of the Twin Phoenixes

雪樵主人Aug 2014

Rating 3.5
Word count
182K words
Chapters
91

Tags

Classical Literature Historical Fiction Legendary LivesPatriotismHistorical Novel StyleAncient StyleFemale Perspective

Summary

'The Legend of the Twin Phoenixes,' also called 'The Tale of Wang Zhaojun,' tells of Wang Zhaojun and her sister Sai Zhaojun being sent to the barbarian lands. Emperor Yuan of Han orders Mao Yanshou to select beauties for his harem. Mao chooses the peerless Zhaojun, but when his bribe fails, he plots to have her locked in the cold palace and substitutes a woman surnamed Lu. When his scheme is exposed, the Lu consort kills herself and the emperor devotes himself to Zhaojun. Fearing punishment, Mao flees to the barbarian realm. The barbarian king then attacks Han, and the emperor reluctantly sends Zhaojun as a peace offering. There she manipulates the barbarian king into killing the traitor Mao Yanshou before drowning herself in the Baiyang River to preserve her honor. After her death, Sai Zhaojun is summoned to the palace and made empress. When the barbarian king invades again, Sai Zhaojun, who has mastered martial arts under a mysterious immortal, crushes his army and returns in triumph, later bearing a crown prince. Because both Zhaojun and Sai Zhaojun served the Han emperor, the book is titled 'The Legend of the Twin Phoenixes.'

Editor's review

This is one of the more widely circulated Qing-dynasty chapter novels, expanding the story of Wang Zhaojun from historical records and zaju drama into a full-length narrative: unjust confinement in the cold palace, forced marriage to a foreign ruler, using one enemy to destroy another, and drowning herself to preserve her honor—each episode leads into the next with a strong storyteller's cadence. Its value lies not in historical accuracy but in preserving ordinary readers' simplest imagining of the Zhaojun story—rewriting a political tragedy as a popular drama of clear loyalty and villainy with karmic retribution; the latter half adds Sai Zhaojun defeating the enemy and bearing a son, giving readers emotional relief. The author's style is plain, the chapter titles are neatly parallel, and good and evil are instantly distinguishable, making it suitable as a sample for observing how ancient popular fiction rewrote historical legend. If you are reading operas and poems on the Zhaojun theme, this book can serve as comparative material; if you seek literary excellence alone, choose elsewhere.

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Reading tips

  1. First skim all chapter titles to grasp the overall structure of setup, development, climax, and resolution, then read the main text closely.
  2. Read the Zhaojun story alongside relevant historical records and mark where the novel adds embellishments.
  3. The later Sai Zhaojun episodes can be seen as folk sequel-style imagination and need not be judged strictly by historical fact.
  4. Read two or three chapters each evening to maintain the rhythm of chapter fiction; avoid rushing through it in one sitting.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 目录
  3. 正文
  4. 序
  5. 第一回 汉帝得梦选妃 奸相贪财逼美
  6. 第二回 太守被责献女 昭君用计辱奸
  7. 第三回 美人图奸臣点痣 鲁家庄金定掉包
  8. 第四回 使奸计太守被诳 苦分离昭君上路
  9. 第五回 献图谎奏惑君 妒美追舟遇贬
  10. 第六回 真冷宫昭君受苦 假圣旨太守充军
  11. 第七回 弹琵琶月洞相思 叹五更冷宫诉怨
  12. 第八回 王太守辽东受军棍 汉天子越州召皇亲
  13. 第九回 王嫱病缠冷宫 姚氏分娩辽东
  14. 第十回 坐孤灯思想汉天子 开科选取中刘状元
  15. 第十一回 见西瓜吟诗散闷 踏夜月忆古伤情
  16. 第十二回 双凤台林后听琵琶 望月楼昭君会皇后
  17. 第十三回 唆天子正宫暗听 打西宫鲁妃吃惊
  18. 第十四回 分宫亭皇后伸冤 王昭君冷宫诉怨苦
  19. 第十五回 真昭君亲见汉王 勇李陵锁捉奸臣
  20. 第十六回 毛相拐图逃走 鲁妃仇报自尽
  21. 第十七回 东教场抄斩毛宅 西宫里初整鸾衾
  22. 第十八回 出边关奸相装醉汉 到番邦延寿找门生
  23. 第十九回 召王忠总兵趋炎附势 造相府太守晋爵加官
  24. 第二十回 献昭君图挑番王 进哑谜诗难汉主
  25. 第二十一回 刘状元看破番诗 单于国大兴人马
  26. 第二十二回 彭总兵失机败阵 李元帅奉旨征番
  27. 第二十三回 李陵败石家父子 吴銮差左右先锋
  28. 第二十四回 智困李陵遭活捉 急差都督起救兵
  29. 第二十五回 百花女怒杀番将 石庆真暗箭伤人
  30. 第二十六回 报妻仇李虎阵亡 踹番营老将交兵
  31. 第二十七回 困番邦李陵不屈 说忠良番相受辱
  32. 第二十八回 美人计哄忠臣 李陵愤羞公主
  33. 第二十九回 公主含羞全节 忠臣尽义轻生
  34. 第三十回 虎牙口忠臣立碑 雁门关苏武和番
  35. 第三十一回 大小逼卫律遭辱骂 风雪岭苏武牧羝羊
  36. 第三十二回 苏武软困飞来洞 番王病想王昭君
  37. 第三十三回 毛延寿探病献计 北番王临朝发兵
  38. 第三十四回 娄相挂帅操人马 甘奇比武夺先锋
  39. 第三十五回 盘陀山妖仙逞异术 番元帅单骑请军师
  40. 第三十六回 攻雁门李广斩甘奇 摆异阵妖术困汉将
  41. 第三十七回 现白虎大败李广 放火龙烧破雁门
  42. 第三十八回 金雀关赵英救李广 水晶球妖人打汉将
  43. 第三十九回 张玉龙中计失银燕 黄崇虎被宝走铁鸦
  44. 第四十回 渡黄河妖风吹战舰 围京城怪石冲汉兵
  45. 第四十一回 汉帝吓倒金銮殿 张相献计假昭君
  46. 第四十二回 番人班师归本国 大封功臣见美人
  47. 第四十三回 对图画假美露破绽 指真形延寿进谗言
  48. 第四十四回 二犯雁门惊魂胆 一纸战书逼美人
  49. 第四十五回 保江山苦舍昭君 和番邦哭别天子
  50. 第四十六回 辞父母十分难舍 拜皇后万箭钻心
  51. 第四十七回 收御弟文龙赐姓 哭西宫昭君换服
  52. 第四十八回 芙蓉岭王龙和新诗 太行山土地逐大虫
  53. 第四十九回 雪拥马蹄见学士心 眼盼雁门谱昭君曲
  54. 第五十回 出雁门昭君自恨 思乡里王龙吟诗
  55. 第五十一回 写血书征鸿寄信 看雁翅天子伤情
  56. 第五十二回 黑水河谈诗矢名节 九姑庙得梦赠仙衣
  57. 第五十三回 单于城昭君约三事 银安殿番王宴天使
  58. 第五十四回 昭君智哄番邦主 王龙计下蒙昏药
  59. 第五十五回 报冤仇怒斩延寿 仗仙衣吓住番王
  60. 第五十六回 欲全名节说假梦 要还心愿造浮桥
  61. 第五十七回 救忠臣苏武回朝 寻丈夫猩猩追舟
  62. 第五十八回 弹琵琶带病思乡 嘱御弟含悲生别
  63. 第五十九回 深宫夜坐苦怨汉王 浮桥烧香悲诉求神
  64. 第六十回 断肠诗猿啼鹃唳 洋河水玉暗香沉
  65. 第六十一回 见凶兆哭倒番王 赐金银礼送天使
  66. 第六十二回 教授哭祭白洋口 昭君魂返芙蓉岭
  67. 第六十三回 昭君魂怨失约事 王龙面诉和番情
  68. 第六十四回 百鸟护尸收仙衣 满朝送葬遇国丈
  69. 第六十五回 汉天子初见赛昭君 长朝殿加封刘教授
  70. 第六十六回 教授衣锦还乡 国丈给养续婚
  71. 第六十七回 痛王嫱皇亲思女 游花园九姑传法
  72. 第六十八回 林皇后得病归天 赛昭君充立后宫
  73. 第六十九回 掌昭阳哭祭芙蓉岭 想冤仇议征单于国
  74. 第七十回 汉天子懒征北番 单于主思夺国宝
  75. 第七十一回 土金浑入寇雁门 汉李广大破番兵
  76. 第七十二回 报宿仇老将施威 请救兵二王挂帅
  77. 第七十三回 番僧宝伤汉将 皇后劝驾亲征
  78. 第七十四回 挂先锋铁花自请令 打头阵金浑落陷坑
  79. 第七十五回 破妖法异兽现形 踹番营二王被捉
  80. 第七十六回 破城番王哭求 显灵昭君讨情
  81. 第七十七回 收降书准赦番王 看碑文亲祭忠臣
  82. 第七十八回 奏凯歌苦祭昭君 还天朝大封功臣
  83. 第七十九回 猩娘中国寄子 苏武早朝请封
  84. 第八十回 得佳梦始终异兆 生太子庆贺团圆
  85. 如是我闻
  86. 一、沉鱼落雁飞，闭月羞花却——四大美人
  87. 二、姐妹共为皇帝嫔妃的历史人物
  88. 三、吟颂王昭君的古诗词
  89. 四、少年多情郎，恨在帝王家——与汉元帝一样痴情的皇帝
  90. 五、意态虽天成，妙笔是丹青——古代著名的宫廷画师
  91. 六、丝绸路上的和亲公主

FAQ

What exactly does the title "Shuang Feng Qi Yuan" refer to? It refers to Wang Zhaojun and her younger sister Sai Zhaojun entering the Han palace one after the other and both serving Emperor Yuan of Han. First Zhaojun goes to the foreign court and dies for her honor; later Sai Zhaojun enters the palace, becomes empress, defeats the foreign enemy, and bears a son—hence "Shuang Feng" (Two Phoenixes). The title highlights the sisters' marriages and achievements rather than two parallel love lines, so readers need not expect the formula of scholar-and-beauty romance.
Is the episode of Zhaojun drowning herself historically accurate? No. Historical records only note that Zhaojun went beyond the frontier and married Huhanye Chanyu; there is no account of her drowning. Drowning herself to preserve her honor is an embellishment added by later opera and fiction to reinforce the theme of chastity and martyrdom. Readers should distinguish historical records from folk elaboration and treat this book as one form of legend, not as a historical source.
Did Mao Yanshou really exist? Mao Yanshou appears in miscellanies such as Xijing Zaji and is not recorded in official histories. The novel makes him a treacherous official who, having failed to extort a bribe, frames Zhaojun and then flees to the foreign court after his scheme fails, so as to sharpen the opposition between loyalty and villainy and drive the plot. Repeatedly developed in opera, this figure has become the most famous villain in the Zhaojun story.
Can this book be read as a history book? Not really. It is popular fiction; its timeline, character relationships, and battle descriptions are largely invented, and it even includes supernatural elements such as martial arts taught by extraordinary figures. To understand Han-Xiongnu relations and the heqin marriage-alliance system, read historical works and relevant scholarship; this book's value lies in literary history and folklore studies.

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About the author

雪樵主人 Author

Xueqiao Zhuren is an author of traditional popular fiction about whom very little is publicly known; his real name, native place, and dates of birth and death have not been clearly recorded, so his life story cannot be reconstructed. Extant works under this name number six titles, all centered on the story of Shuang Feng Qi Yuan (A Tale of Two Phoenixes), including the main text, its four separately issued volumes, and a four-volume boxed set. Classified under classical literature and classic works, these writings belong chiefly to the traditional chapter-novel genre, treating the joys and sorrows of scholar-and-beauty romance with detailed plotting and a plain, storytelling-style language. Because the name itself resembles a literati sobriquet ending in "Zhuren" (master), the author may have been a folk novelist or publishing-house writer of the Ming or Qing period. Though his biography remains obscure, his works still offer useful texts for the study of early popular narrative.