Great Tang Idyll – Summary & Character Intro

Summary

The greatest con-man and a policewoman sent to capture him die to save a hostage.

Zhang Xiao Bao is the conman => now the heir of Zhang manor (age 1?)

Wang Juan is the policewoman => now the fiancee of Zhang Xiao Bao and child (heir?) of Wang manor.

They woke up as babies in Zhang manor and start training their bodies and scheming so that Xiao Bao’s family will be able to retain their (100 head tax exemption) land.

• Made an oven to sell grilled fish strips.
  • Also allowed the family of the servant helping him with this (Er Niu, his brother Da Niu and general family members) to profit greatly.
• Made hot pot.
• Sold spicy sauce (eaten with flat cakes) to restaurants. This is made from wild plants on the mountainside that he arranged for people to go collect.
• Set up an egg incubator (Servant Ying Tao assigned to this) and then hatched a ridiculous amount of chickens. Uses firewood, discarded egg shells and general unwanted fish bits from the market to breed worms and serve as food for the chickens. Chicks were also herded to eat grasshoppers during harvesting seasons – helped tenants of Gu, Zhang and Wang manor a ton.
• Turned the tables on a swindler that tried to cheat them and converted him into a minion.
• Sold carrots and soybean oil to restaurants.
• Soybean oil and white sugar was also sold to aristocratic families
• Grew cucumber during winter and sold it – was packaged as an auspicious sign from the heavens and helped the county magistrate in his career.
• Also provided grains for the county magistrate (Cheng XianLing) to pass out to the people during the new years. Bribery essentially allowing the magistrate to create a good reputation amongst the people.
• Repaired the houses, provided lots of food & clothing gifts to the tenants of the Zhang and Wang manors. Made a Kang (warm bed stove) in their houses, provided materials for lanterns. Compensated them well for their work. General good treatment of the people.
• Created a general store on their lands for their people.
• Neighbouring Gu manor has tenants that are very envious and a troubled lord (and his spoiled child).
• They made firecrackers with a modified version of gunpowder that is now sold to tenants (CNY tradition to scare away demons), given to the magistrate & new restaurants (publicity). Firecrackers are made in both the Zhang and Wang Manor.

Characters

Minions:

Zi Jin – Song Jing Gong: a scholar turned swindler that cheats rich people who they turned the tables on. They drove him to the edge of desperation by turning his schemes against him before impressing him with their scholarly knowledge and general intelligence. He is the minion that liaises with the magistrate and handles business matters (soybean oil, white sugar). He is currently involved in the selling of cucumbers during winter (marketed as an auspicious sign)

Xu Si: Previously a person of the Gu manor (neighbouring manor), they recruited him when they noticed he was smart. Currently assigned to handle the market fair.

Servants:

Er Niu: assigned to make spicy sauce, made grilled fish strips and his family helps with business (selling carrots).

Ying Tao: assigned to hatching chickens using a heated bed to incubate the eggs.

Xiao Hong: assigned to the ducks and geese (herds them to the pond).

Shi Liu: servant that is currently at their side.

Government:

Cheng Ling Xiang (Cheng XianLing): County Magistrate – he is a good guy that has been bribed a ton by Zhang Xiao Bao and Wang Jun through ZiJin (Song Jing Gong). He knows that there is an adept (wise guy) at the manor but thinks it is a reclusive old guy.

Chen Yong: State Secretary that plotted against Cheng XianLing (county magistrate). He was assigned to verify the auspicious sign of the cucumber by the emperor.

Misc:

Zhou Xi Hui: Nephew of important guy. Tried to sabotage their soybean oil business but has been converted to a business partner in the sale of white sugar.

Zhang manor has:

• Zhang Xiao Bao’s mom (super devoted to her child)
• Zhang Xiao Bao’s dad (scholar – bookworm & kinda henpecked)
• Zhang Xiao Bao’s grandpa & Zhang Xiao Bao’s grandma
• Steward: devoted to the family
• Tenants (people who work the land): all are super grateful to Zhang Xiao Bao and Wang Jun as they have helped improve their lives a ton.