Pei Xuan is a fictional character in ''

Water Margin ''Water Margin'' (''Shuihu zhuan'') is one of the earliest Chinese novels written in vernacular Mandarin, and is attributed to Shi Nai'an. It is also translated as ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' and ''All Men Are Brothers''. The story, which is s ...

'', one of the

Four Great Classical Novels Classic Chinese Novels () are the best-known novels of pre-modern Chinese literature. These are among the world's longest and oldest novels. They represented a new complexity in structure and sophistication in language that helped to establish t ...

in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Iron Faced Magistrate's Scribe", he ranks 47th among the

108 Stars of Destiny The 108 Heroes are the main characters of the Ming dynasty classic Chinese novel the ''Water Margin'', which was written in the 14th century and usually attributed to Shi Nai'an. The heroes are divided into the 36 Heavenly Spirits and 72 Earthly F ...

and 11th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

Pei Xuan, a native of Jingzhao Prefecture (京兆府; around present-day

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

), is a ''kongmu'' ( 孔目; magistrate's scribe) in his hometown. He is known for being uncompromising in upholding justice, incorruptible before bribes and fearless of coercions. These attributes earn him the nickname "Iron Faced Magistrate's Scribe". Besides being well-versed in the law of the

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

empire, Pei Xuan, who has a chubby face, is an expert in swordsmanship and likes traditional arts.

Joining Liangshan

Pei Xuan's no-nonsense approach in handling litigation cases at last gets him into trouble with higher officials. They falsely accuse him of insubordination and get him sentenced to exile in Shamen Island (沙門島; present-day

Changdao County Changdao County ) was a county in Yantai, a prefectural area of Shandong in the People's Republic of China. It consists of the Changshan Islands within the Bohai Strait, directly north of Penglai. They were known for their sandy beaches and pic ...

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

). Along the way, Pei Xuan and his escorts pass by Yinma River (飲馬川; in present-day

Ji County, Tianjin Jizhou District (), formerly a county known as Ji County, is a district in the far north of the municipality of Tianjin, People's Republic of China, holding cultural and historical significance (''e.g''., the Buddhist Temple of Solitary Joy). O ...

), where they are intercepted by a bandit gang led by

Deng Fei Deng Fei is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Fiery Eyed ''Suan-ni''", he ranks 49th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 13th among the 72 Earthly Fiends. Backgro ...

and

Meng Kang Meng may refer to: * Meng (surname) (孟), a Chinese surname * Master of Engineering (MEng or M.Eng.), an academic or professional master's degree in the field of engineering * , "M with hook", letter used in the International Phonetic Alphabet * ...

. Freed by the two, Pei Xuan impresses them with his aplomb and upright personality that they make him their leader.

Dai Zong Dai Zong is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Magic Traveller", he ranks 20th among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny. Backgr ...

of Liangshan incidentally comes to know Yang Lin when he is in Jizhou by order of

Song Jiang A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition ...

to locate

Gongsun Sheng Gongsun Sheng is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Dragon in the Clouds", he ranks fourth among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Desti ...

to fetch him back to the stronghold. Gongsun has been away too long to visit his mother. Together, Dai and Yang pass by Yinma River (飲馬川; in present-day Ji County,

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

), where they are blocked by Deng Fei,

and their men. It turns out that Yang and Deng are acquaintances. They are introduced to Pei Xuan, who accepts Dai's invitation to merge his band into that of Liangshan..

Campaigns

Pei Xuan is put in charge of deciding on rewards and punishments after the

came together in what is called the Grand Assembly. He participates in the campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces in

territory following amnesty from Emperor Huizong for Liangshan, In the attack on Jingnan (荊南; around present-day

Jingzhou Jingzhou () is a prefecture-level city in southern Hubei province, China, located on the banks of the Yangtze River. Its total residential population was 5,231,180 based on the 2020 census, 1,068,291 of whom resided in the built-up (''or metro' ...

, Hubei) in the campaign against Wang Qing, Pei Xuan,

Xiao Rang Xiao Rang is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Sacred Handed Scholar", he ranks 46th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and tenth among the 72 Earthly Fiends. Backgr ...

and

Jin Dajian Jin Dajian is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Jade Armed Craftsman", he ranks 66th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 30th among the 72 Earthly Fiends. Backgrou ...

are captured by the enemy. The three refused to surrender and divulge any information under torture. They are freed when Xiao Jiasui and others revolt against Wang, causing Jingnan to fall. Pei Xuan is one of the few Liangshan heroes who survive all the campaigns. Although given an official position, he declines it and returns to Yinma River with Yang Lin to resume the life of a bandit.

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pei, Xuan 72 Earthly Fiends Fictional judges Fictional characters from Shaanxi