九命奇冤

by Jianren Wu

"九命奇冤" by Jianren Wu is a murder mystery novel published in 1906. Set during the Qing Dynasty's Yongzheng Emperor reign, the story follows two families—the Liangs and Lings—transformed from relatives into bitter enemies over feng shui disputes. When the powerful Ling family orchestrates a deadly fire that kills eight members of the Liang household and bribes officials to suppress justice, the survivors must journey to Beijing to appeal directly to the emperor. This tale of corruption and redemption uses innovative flashback techniques influenced by foreign literature.