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The Deer and the Cauldron
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The Deer and the Cauldron
The Deer and the Cauldron, also known as The Duke of Mount Deer or The Royal Tramp, is a historical novel by Jin Yong. It is his last and longest novel, originally serialized in the Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao from 24 October 1969 to 23 September 1972.
The novel's title is explained in the first chapter when the poet Lü Liuliang discusses two concepts with his son. The cauldron is a reference to a story in the Zuo Zhuan in which King Zhuang of Chu enquired the weight of the Nine Tripod Cauldrons – revealing his secret desire to seize the Mandate of Heaven. The deer is a reference to a remark by Kuai Tong recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian: "the Qin emperor lost his deer, and all under heaven chased after it". The deer symbolises the common people of China, who are at the mercy of ruthless warlords vying to conquer the lands of the fallen Qin dynasty.
As Lü explains to his son, in Chinese history, the cauldron has been used both to cook hunted deer and as an instrument of torture for human beings. In the Chinese language, "asking about the cauldrons" and "chasing the deer" both signify the desire to become Emperor, while "not knowing who will kill the deer" indicates uncertainty about who will become Emperor. "It may be uncertain who will kill the deer, but the deer gets killed all right. There's no uncertainty about that."
In the afterword, Jin Yong wrote that his intention in writing the novel was to reflect societal and cultural realities instead of encouraging readers to imitate an unprincipled protagonist. In a 2006 interview, Jin Yong revealed that he considered changing the novel's ending to give Wei Xiaobao his just deserts, but he abandoned the idea after receiving pushback from readers.
The story centres on a witty, sly, illiterate and lazy protagonist, Wei Xiaobao, who was born in a brothel in Yangzhou in the mid-17th century during the early Qing dynasty. By chance, the teenage scamp helps an outlaw evade the authorities and follows him to Beijing, where Wei is kidnapped and taken to the imperial palace. To survive there, Wei impersonates an eunuch and strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Kangxi Emperor.
One day, Wei Xiaobao encounters the Tiandihui ("Heaven and Earth Society"), a secret society aiming to overthrow the Qing dynasty and restore the Ming dynasty. He impresses Chen Jinnan, leader of the Tiandihui and advisor to the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan, who becomes his shifu. Besides, he also becomes one of the Tiandihui's lodge leaders and agrees to serve as their spy in the palace. Later, he is taken captive by the sinister Mystic Dragon Cult and brought to the island where they are based. Through glib talk and flattery, he wins the favour of Hong Antong, the cult leader, and his young wife, Su Quan, becoming one of the cult's five emissaries.
Wei Xiaobao makes a number of seemingly impossible achievements through sheer luck, cunning, and the use of unglamorous means such as cheating and deception. 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 reunites him 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 Wu Sangui's rebellion by bribing the rebels' allies to withdraw, allowing Qing imperial forces to crush the rebels easily. Finally, he leads a campaign against the Tsardom of Russia and helps the Qing Empire reach a border treaty with the Russians. Earlier on, he had met the Russian regent, Sophia Alekseyevna, and helped her consolidate control over Russia 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 and thus conquered Taiwan.
Throughout the story, Wei Xiaobao exhibits devout loyalty to both the Kangxi Emperor and the anti-Qing Tiandihui. He saves the lives of the emperor and the empress dowager on several occasions. On the other hand, he helps the anti-Qing elements and undermines the Qing forces' attempts to destroy the Tiandihui. Navigating power plays, Wei Xiaobao accumulates immense wealth and high titles from various parties, including the Manchu court's "Duke of Deer Cauldron" (or "Duke of Mount Deer", which is used as an alternative English title for the novel). On top of his achievements, he also encounters seven attractive women on separate occasions, eventually marrying all of them.
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The Deer and the Cauldron
The Deer and the Cauldron, also known as The Duke of Mount Deer or The Royal Tramp, is a historical novel by Jin Yong. It is his last and longest novel, originally serialized in the Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao from 24 October 1969 to 23 September 1972.
The novel's title is explained in the first chapter when the poet Lü Liuliang discusses two concepts with his son. The cauldron is a reference to a story in the Zuo Zhuan in which King Zhuang of Chu enquired the weight of the Nine Tripod Cauldrons – revealing his secret desire to seize the Mandate of Heaven. The deer is a reference to a remark by Kuai Tong recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian: "the Qin emperor lost his deer, and all under heaven chased after it". The deer symbolises the common people of China, who are at the mercy of ruthless warlords vying to conquer the lands of the fallen Qin dynasty.
As Lü explains to his son, in Chinese history, the cauldron has been used both to cook hunted deer and as an instrument of torture for human beings. In the Chinese language, "asking about the cauldrons" and "chasing the deer" both signify the desire to become Emperor, while "not knowing who will kill the deer" indicates uncertainty about who will become Emperor. "It may be uncertain who will kill the deer, but the deer gets killed all right. There's no uncertainty about that."
In the afterword, Jin Yong wrote that his intention in writing the novel was to reflect societal and cultural realities instead of encouraging readers to imitate an unprincipled protagonist. In a 2006 interview, Jin Yong revealed that he considered changing the novel's ending to give Wei Xiaobao his just deserts, but he abandoned the idea after receiving pushback from readers.
The story centres on a witty, sly, illiterate and lazy protagonist, Wei Xiaobao, who was born in a brothel in Yangzhou in the mid-17th century during the early Qing dynasty. By chance, the teenage scamp helps an outlaw evade the authorities and follows him to Beijing, where Wei is kidnapped and taken to the imperial palace. To survive there, Wei impersonates an eunuch and strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Kangxi Emperor.
One day, Wei Xiaobao encounters the Tiandihui ("Heaven and Earth Society"), a secret society aiming to overthrow the Qing dynasty and restore the Ming dynasty. He impresses Chen Jinnan, leader of the Tiandihui and advisor to the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan, who becomes his shifu. Besides, he also becomes one of the Tiandihui's lodge leaders and agrees to serve as their spy in the palace. Later, he is taken captive by the sinister Mystic Dragon Cult and brought to the island where they are based. Through glib talk and flattery, he wins the favour of Hong Antong, the cult leader, and his young wife, Su Quan, becoming one of the cult's five emissaries.
Wei Xiaobao makes a number of seemingly impossible achievements through sheer luck, cunning, and the use of unglamorous means such as cheating and deception. 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 reunites him 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 Wu Sangui's rebellion by bribing the rebels' allies to withdraw, allowing Qing imperial forces to crush the rebels easily. Finally, he leads a campaign against the Tsardom of Russia and helps the Qing Empire reach a border treaty with the Russians. Earlier on, he had met the Russian regent, Sophia Alekseyevna, and helped her consolidate control over Russia 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 and thus conquered Taiwan.
Throughout the story, Wei Xiaobao exhibits devout loyalty to both the Kangxi Emperor and the anti-Qing Tiandihui. He saves the lives of the emperor and the empress dowager on several occasions. On the other hand, he helps the anti-Qing elements and undermines the Qing forces' attempts to destroy the Tiandihui. Navigating power plays, Wei Xiaobao accumulates immense wealth and high titles from various parties, including the Manchu court's "Duke of Deer Cauldron" (or "Duke of Mount Deer", which is used as an alternative English title for the novel). On top of his achievements, he also encounters seven attractive women on separate occasions, eventually marrying all of them.