Study Companion Rules

Zhan Jianxing is a twelve-year-old girl living in Datong County with her widowed mother, Xu Shi. After the death of her father two years prior, the pair survived by running a modest steamed bun shop. Jianxing was raised as a boy by her late father to secure the family line, a disguise she maintains to protect their livelihood and avoid the predatory advances of her extended Zhan clan, who seek to force Xu Shi into a remarriage and reclaim Jianxing as unpaid labor. The family has fled their ancestral village to escape these relatives, finding temporary refuge among the common folk of the city.

The narrative shifts when the Prince of Dai, a notoriously cruel and violent royal uncle recently released from eight years of house arrest by the new emperor, leads his household through the streets. The Prince and his entourage forcibly seize steamed buns from Jianxing’s mother’s stall. Shortly after, the Prince collapses and dies in the street. Zhu Xunshuo, the Prince’s second son, falsely accuses Xu Shi and Jianxing of poisoning the royal, claiming the buns were laced with poison. Despite the obvious absurdity, the local magistrate, Li Weizhi, is intimidated by the Prince’s formidable reputation and the threat of political ruin, leaving the mother and son vulnerable to torture and execution.

During the chaotic proceedings at the county yamen, Prefect Luo Haicheng arrives to oversee the case. He recognizes the Prince died of asphyxiation after choking on a steamed bun, a fact confirmed by the attending physician and the coroner. When Zhu Xunshuo attempts to force a confession through torture, Jianxing makes a daring move. She snatches the piece of bun extracted from the Prince’s throat and eats it publicly, betting her life on its innocence. When no poison takes effect, Luo Haicheng uses this act to formally acquit Xu Shi and Jianxing, ordering their release.

However, the relief is short-lived. Upon returning home, Jianxing discovers that her greedy Zhan relatives have robbed the bun shop while she and her mother were imprisoned, stealing their meager savings and supplies. Simultaneously, Xu Shi falls critically ill with a fever contracted in the damp prison conditions. With no money for medicine and their livelihood destroyed, the pair faces destitution. Luo Haicheng, moved by Jianxing’s filial piety and courage, provides medicinal ointment and facilitates their release, but he cannot restore what was stolen.

In the capital, the imperial court reviews the case. The new emperor, embarrassed by the disgraceful nature of the Prince’s death and the manor’s subsequent conduct, withholds the princely title and places the family under strict supervision. He also takes notice of Zhu Chengjun, the illiterate ninth grandson of the Prince of Dai, who displayed a strange indifference during the trial. The emperor assigns a Hanlin academician to tutor Zhu Chengjun, a move that Zhu Xunshuo interprets as a slight, leading to further internal family tension.

Back in Datong, Jianxing’s situation deteriorates. Her mother’s illness worsens, and the loss of their capital forces them to rely on the charity of neighbors. Jianxing, determined to reclaim their stolen property and secure her mother’s future, decides to file a formal complaint with the authorities. Her actions reveal a sharp intellect and a resolve that transcends her station. The story sets the stage for Jianxing’s pursuit of justice and her ultimate goal of taking the Imperial Examination to gain the power necessary to protect her family from both clan oppression and noble tyranny.