Summary:
The Jin Dynasty official Zhao Dun was framed by the traitor Tu Anjia and falsely accused of treason, and his clan was wiped out. Zhao Dun's son Zhao Shuo was the prince's consort of Jin Linggong, but Tu'anjia falsely conveyed the king's orders and forced him to commit suicide. Before Zhao Shuo committed suicide, he told the princess that if she gave birth to a son, he would be named Zhao's Orphan, so that he could avenge his family when he grew up.
The princess entrusted the Zhao orphan to Cheng Ying and hanged herself. Tu'anjia sent General Han Jue to guard the gate of the Prince Consort's Mansion to prevent anyone from taking out the Zhao orphans. Cheng Ying hid the orphan in the medicine box and took it out, but Han Jue found it. But Han Jue couldn't bear to kill them all, so he committed suicide.
Tu Anjia found out that the Zhao orphans had been rescued, and ordered that if the Zhao orphans were not sacrificed, all children under half a year old in the country would be killed. Cheng Ying discussed with Gongsun Chujiu and planned to use his own son to impersonate him in order to save the Zhao orphans. In the end, it was decided that Cheng Ying would be the leader, and Gongsun Peijiu passed off Cheng Ying's son as an orphan of the Zhao family.
Cheng Ying reported to Tu Anjia that Gongsun Chujiu was hiding the Zhao orphans. Tu Yanxing interrogated him and ordered Cheng Ying to torture him. Tu's soldiers found the fake Zhao orphan in Gongsun's home and killed him. Gongsun Chujiu also committed suicide by knocking down the steps. The orphan of the Zhao family was passed off as his son by Cheng Ying and named Cheng Bo. He was adopted by Tu as his adopted son, so he was also named Tu Cheng.
When the orphan who changed his name grew up, Cheng Ying informed him of his life experience. The Zhao orphan was filled with grief and anger, and decided to avenge Cheng Ying and Gongsun Chujiu against Tu Anjia.
The orphan of the Zhao family complained to Duke Ao of Jin about the tragedy of his family. Wei Jiang, the Shangqing, ordered that the Tu'anjia clan be exterminated, and the orphans of the Zhao family restored their surname to Zhao and changed their names to Zhao Wu.
Background
It was not until the plays of Ji Junxiang in the thirteenth century that stories appeared in prose form as historical narratives. After the season plays, stage plays were the mainstay, and there were numerous local plays, some of which were completely independent of his repertoire.
In "Historical Records" written by Sima Qian, a historian of the Han Dynasty, there is a chapter describing the deeds of the Zhao family. These records were adapted by Ji Junxiang in "The Orphan of Zhao". The play follows the theme of family revenge and places it within the context of Confucian morality and social hierarchies.
Although there may be an intentional emphasis on social values ??and norms, many scenes of violence serve the purpose of theatrical entertainment while also stimulating emotional and moral feelings in the audience.
The pain and endurance Cheng Ying endured when she was forced to live in the enemy's home in order to protect her orphans can be understood as the author's ironic reflection of the national political environment at the time. Yuan Dynasty. Therefore, the author attempts to incorporate Han Confucian values ??through his works.