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Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does honor demand when love, rank and court intrigue pull in different directions?
The Green Peony is an anonymous Chinese adventure novel set in the Tang dynasty, a world of poets, emperors and wandering swordsmen. Brave heroes, clever women, honest officials and scheming courtiers fill its world. Beneath the fights and chases lies a question: what does it mean to stay loyal when loyalty becomes hard?
Romance and political danger share the stage. Love meets barriers of rank and family duty, while heroes follow a code that asks them to keep their word, repay kindness and defend the weak. Rooted in Chinese storytelling, the tale offers lively episodes and boldly drawn characters, with chapter endings that invite you onward.
What you’ll discover
- Honor under pressure Follow heroes whose promises and sense of justice shape their choices in a dangerous world.
- Love against barriers Explore romance tested by rank, family duty and the demands of loyalty.
- A court of contrasts Meet honest officials and scheming courtiers in a world where political danger shadows personal duty.
- The storyteller's pull Enjoy lively episodes, bold characters and chapter endings that make the next page hard to resist.
- Beauty, rank and danger Consider the prized flower of the title and the meanings it can carry.
Who will love it
Readers who love swordplay, daring rescues, sworn brotherhood and lively storytelling. It suits anyone curious about Tang China and old tales of loyalty, revenge and romance.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Friendship grows beside a buried grudge
- A spring outing exposes dangerous rivals
- An oath conceals a dangerous intention
- Protecting a friend can invite blame
- A rescue brings its own harm
- Mercy returns through an unexpected ally
- Loyalty stands against corrupted official power
- Kindness travels farther than corrupt power
Who’s who
- Luo HongxunA strong, careful young man, son of a military prefect, who wants to honor his father and marry properly, and keeps being pulled into other people's feuds.
- Yu QianHongxun's servant and brother in spirit, nicknamed Many-Armed, who loves a fight and will risk anything for his master.
- Ren ZhengqianA rich, dark-faced, red-bearded martial artist with a fierce temper, loyal to his teacher's family but too trusting of false friends.
- Wang LunThe minister's son and the richest man in the county, who takes what he wants and uses his family's power to bully others.
- He ShilaiA short, smiling, money-loving schemer who holds a grudge and helps Wang Lun in exchange for rewards.
- Hua ZhenfangA famous Shandong chief and sworn friend of heroes who wants the best husband for his bold daughter and is quick to help a friend.
- Hua BilianThe old chief's daughter, a skilled rider and fighter who wants to marry only a true hero, and she has chosen Hongxun.
- Bao ZianA huge, sharp-witted old chief at Longtan who tests strangers, repays kindness and enjoys scolding his friends.
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The Green Peony in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Green Peony
by Anonymous
A spring outing at Peach Blossom Hollow sends Luo Hongxun down a road of feuds, prison breaks and an empire in turmoil.
Challenging10–20 hours to read20 languages
Learn a language with challenging classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
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“Better to be a dog in peaceful times than a person in an age of chaos.”
In short
What would you do if a spring picnic put your honor, your friend and your family in danger? In The Green Peony, one day among peach blossoms in Dingxing County sets off feuds, betrayals, prison breaks and a chase across the Yangtze and the Yellow River.
The Green Peony at a glance
- Reading time
- About 10 h 45 min8 h 35 min fast, 12 h 50 min slow
- Length
- 153,900 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A quiet frontier post shapes four lives
The story opens in the reign of Empress Wu, who rules for her young son and keeps favorites in the palace. Chancellors Zhang Tianzuo and Zhang Tianyou gain power, and honest officials such as Xue Gang must flee. The storyteller says that good people lose heart in such an age. Then he turns to a small corner of the empire where life is quiet.
In Dingxing County the military prefect Luo Long trains soldiers and leads a calm life. His son Hongxun is thirteen. A servant boy named Yu Qian, nicknamed Many-Armed, is the same age. The boys share a table and a bed. Yu Qian frowns at poetry but listens closely to talk of spears. Their bond is closer than master and servant, and it will carry the whole book.
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Details
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 2 h 10 min
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
The Green Peony. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-green-peony.
The green peony. (2026). Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-green-peony
The Green Peony. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-green-peony.
@book{anonymous2026green,
title = {The Green Peony},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-green-peony}
}
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What is The Green Peony about?
It follows Luo Hongxun, a young military officer's son in Tang China, as a friendship, a feud and a series of rescues draw him into a struggle against corrupt officials. Loyal friends and bold women fight beside him.
Who wrote The Green Peony and when?
The author is anonymous. The story is set in the Tang dynasty under Empress Wu, and it is told in the manner of a traditional Chinese storyteller, with verses and short chapters that end on a question.
Is The Green Peony a true story?
No, it is a work of fiction. It uses real figures from the Tang court, such as Empress Wu and Di Renjie, as a backdrop, while the main heroes, feuds and adventures are invented for the tale.
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