The Elegance Of The Odes

Traveling to the 40th year of the Wanli era, one desires both to indulge in pleasures and to directly save the nation

Indeed, it is a story filled with intrigue and contradictions

This book is set against the historical backdrop of the 40th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty. It follows the story of a young scholar, Zhang Yuan, from Shanyin County in Shaoxing, who is determined to save his country through participating in the imperial examination. The narrative depicts his various experiences during the preparation for the exam. Zhang Yuan's father works as a minor official in the Zhou Wangfu in Kaifeng, and he lives a simple life with his mother. The family servant, Zhang Dachun, colludes with a local litigator, Yao Xiucai, to scheme against the Zhang family's land. At the age of fifteen, Zhang Yuan uses his intelligence to thwart this plot. To excel in the imperial examination, Zhang Yuan seeks out Wang Siren to be his teacher and diligently studies the eight-legged essay. Later, during an autumn outing, he encounters the beautiful daughter of an official, Shang Danran, and falls in love at first sight, leading to their engagement.

The book presents the beauty of the Jiangnan region during the late Ming Dynasty and the journey of the young Zhang Yuan in his pursuit of knowledge through a series of suspenseful yet humorous plots. Scholars of the late Ming period, such as Wang Siren, Yuan Hongdao, and Zhang Dai, make their appearances one by one, seamlessly integrating with the storyline. The title "Elegant and Profound" reflects the contradictions of late Ming society and the book's characteristic of being appreciated by both the refined and the popular.