The Secret under the Mahogany tree

by Ping Feng

Overview

Beautifully translated into English.

A story of intrigue, set in the fabulously interesting time of the Ming dynasty, China. It was a time when tradition held that women did not play chess. At that time, Jin Xiaomei, a young girl of seventeen had grown up in the Plum Valley Chess Club where she was forbidden to play by her father, the master of the club. Jin Xiaomei had other ideas.

Follow her as she dresses up as a man and plays in other clubs to gain knowledge and experience. She enters the emperor's chess competition to determine the Grand Master of the dynasty.

But there is another story. What is the secret under the mahogany tree? Who are the people who are out to destroy Jin Xiaomei and the Plum Valley Chess Club? And what of Prince Zhu? Will Jin Xiaomei resist his advances so she can pursue the one she loves? Will Jin Xiaomei endeavours lead to the emergence of legend or tragedy?

 This story is loosely based on history, and many of the events portrayed are accurate.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780645276114
Publisher:	Heartspace Publications
Publication date:	09/06/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	258
File size:	4 MB
Language:	English, Middle (1100-1500)

About the Author

Feng Ping was born in Shanxi province, China. She gained her Ph.D. at the University of Warsaw, where she studied International Relations with a focus on China's foreign policy towards Central Eastern European countries. She plays chess, enjoys classical music, and reads widely. This is Feng Ping's fourth book. Her book Four legendary woman of ancient China is also published by Heartspace Publications.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

The Grand Master, Wang Siyi

1

Chapter Two

Leaving the Plum Valley

for the sake of a beautiful woman

11

Chapter Three

Marriage

25

Chapter Four

Jin Xiaomei

33

Chapter Five

The opening

51

Chapter Six

The Master of Plum Valley

Chess Club

55

Chapter Seven

Jin Xiaomei learns

67

Chapter Eight

Happiness Chess Club

75

Chapter Nine

The first chess game

85

Chapter Ten

The loss of the first volume of the

Secret under the Mahogany tree

95

Chapter Eleven

One of the four young masters in the

capital

103

Chapter Twelve

The Prince becomes enamoured!

107

Chapter Thirteen

The second game

119

Chapter Fourteen

Huge waves in Jiang Hu

125

Chapter Fifteen

Chaos in the Plum Valley

Chess club

155

Chapter Sixteen

The meeting in the

Confucian temple

179

Chapter Seventeen

Blood and wind in Jiang Hu

187

Chapter Eighteen

The third game

195

Chapter Nineteen

A boat ride

207

Chapter Twenty

Wang Jing, weak, like his father

211

Chapter Twenty-One

The Contest

217

Chapter Twenty-Two

The final game in Plum Valley

231

Epilogue

241

Appendix