Pei Xuan
Pei Xuan is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Iron Faced Magistrate's Scribe", he ranks 47th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 11th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.
| Pei Xuan | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
| First appearance | Chapter 44 |
| Nickname | "Iron Faced Magistrate's Clerk" 鐵面孔目 |
| Rank | 47th, Upright Star (地正星) of the 72 Earthly Fiends |
| Chief Justice of Liangshan | |
| Origin | Magistrate |
| Ancestral home / Place of origin | Jingzhao Prefecture (around present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi) |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 裴宣 |
| Traditional Chinese | 裴宣 |
| Pinyin | Péi Xuān |
| Wade–Giles | P'ei Hsüan |
Background
A native of Jingzhao Prefecture (京兆府; around present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi), Pei Xuan is a kongmu (孔目; magistrate's scribe) in his hometown known for being uncompromising on points of justice, incorruptible by money and uncowed by power, which earns him the nickname "Iron Faced Magistrate's Scribe". Besides being well-versed in the law of the Song empire, Pei Xuan, who has a chubby face, is an expert in swordsmanship and schooled in the traditional arts.
Joining Liangshan
Pei Xuan's no-nonsense approach in handling cases of litigation at last gets him into trouble with higher officials, who falsely accuse him of insubordination and get him sentenced to exile in Shamen Island (沙門島; present-day Changdao County, Shandong). Along the way, Pei Xuan and his escorts pass by Yinma River (飲馬川; in present-day Ji County, Tianjin, where they are intercepted by a bandit gang led by Deng Fei and Meng Kang. Freed by the two, Pei Xuan impresses the two with his aplomb and just character that they make him their leader.
Dai Zong of Liangshan incidentally comes to know Yang Lin as he looks for the residence of Gongsun Sheng in Jizhou to fetch the sorcerer back to the stronghold as instructed by Song Jiang. With each other as company, Dai and Yang pass by Yinma River (飲馬川; in present-day Ji County, Tianjin), where they are blocked by men led by Deng Fei and Meng Kang. It turns out that Yang and Deng are acquaintances. They are introduced to Pei Xuan, who agrees to merge his band into Liangshan's.
Campaigns
Pei Xuan is put in charge of determining rewards and meting out punishments after the 108 Stars of Destiny came together in what is called the Grand Assembly. He participates in the campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces in Song territory following amnesty from Emperor Huizong for Liangshan,
In the attack on Jingnan (荊南; around present-day Jingzhou, Hubei) in the campaign against Wang Qing, Pei Xuan, Xiao Rang and Jin Dajian are captured by the enemy. The three, who refused to surrender and yielded up any information under torture, are freed when Xiao Jiasui and others revolt against Wang, leading to the fall of Jingnan
Pei Xuan is one of the few Liangshan heroes who survive all the campaigns. Although granted an official position, he declines it and chooses to return to Yinma River with Yang Lin to resume the life of a bandit.
References
- Buck, Pearl S. (2006). All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell. ISBN 9781559213035.
- Miyazaki, Ichisada (1993). Suikoden: Kyoko no naka no Shijitsu (in Japanese). Chuo Koronsha. ISBN 978-4122020559.
- Keffer, David. "Outlaws of the Marsh: A Somewhat Less Than Critical Commentary". Poison Pie Publishing House. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- Li, Mengxia (1992). 108 Heroes from the Water Margin (in Chinese). EPB Publishers. p. 95. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.
- Miyamoto, Yoko (2011). "Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits". Demystifying Confucianism. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- Shibusawa, Kou (1989), Bandit Kings of Ancient China, Koei
- Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.