The Deer and the Cauldron
core novel 1969 The Deer and the Cauldron
Record
| First published | 1969 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  ZH |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.32 (893 ratings, collected 2026-11-01) |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
In the early years of the Qing dynasty, Wei Xiaobao is a lazy, illiterate teenager born in a brothel in Yangzhou. After helping an outlaw slip away from the authorities, he follows him to Beijing, where he is kidnapped and taken into the imperial palace. To stay alive he pretends to be a eunuch, and he strikes up an unlikely friendship with the young Kangxi Emperor, whose regent Oboi holds most of the real power. Wei also meets the Tiandihui, a secret society working to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming. Its leader, Chen Jinnan, takes him on as an apprentice, and Wei finds himself spying on the palace for them while trying to keep both loyalties alive.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Deer and the Cauldron
- Series: The Deer and the Cauldron core; position 1 of 1 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Jin Yong
Notes
- Chinese title 鹿鼎記 (Luding Ji). Serialized in Ming Pao from 1969 to 1972; an abridged English translation in three volumes appeared 1997-2002.
- From the series record (The Deer and the Cauldron): Standalone historical wuxia novel set in the early Qing dynasty.
Sources
← The Deer and the Cauldron dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.