Royal Tramp (2008)

The Duke of Mount Deer 2008 is the latest Zhang Ji Zhong (ZJZ) production of a Jin Yong novel. As the vast majority of Jin Yong readers know, this novel was a significant departure from the "heroic, gallant righteous and upright" heroes of his other wuxia novels. Instead, Jin Yong wrote what many consider to be his most humorous book, one where the hero has many faults (conniving, multiple loyalties, womanizing, fun-loving) and succeeds not through martial arts prowess but by using trickery, applying his smarts and gambling on luck. Adapted for TV several times over the last three decades, this is the story of Wei Xiao Bao, an urchin brought up in the brothels of Yangzhou during the early Qing Dynasty, and his adventures, from infiltrating the imperial palace and befriending the young emperor Kang Xi, to later rising and becoming the emperor’s confidante, best friend and alter-ego, all the while single-handedly influencing the main historical events of the time. It is also the story of his relationships with his seven(!) wives and with his friends/mentors, in particular, Kang Xi and the chief of the rebellious Triads, Chen Jinnan.