Liu Yuyi (simplified: 刘于义, traditional: 劉於義, Jyutping: lau4 jyu1 ji6, pinyin: Liú Yúyì, courtesy name: Yuzan 喻旃, sobriquet: Weigang 蔚冈, 1675–1748) was the Qing Dynasty Governor-General of Shaanxi-Gansu who discovered the legendary Mandarin Duck Blades that numerous jianghu figures sought for their rumoured martial arts secrets. Acting under secret imperial orders to locate these famous paired weapons, Liu Yuyi successfully acquired them and entrusted their safe transport to the capital to Zhou Weixin, Escort Chief of Weixin Armed Escort from Xi’an. This decision set in motion the central events of the tale, as various martial artists—including the Four Xias of Taiyue, Lin Yulong and Ren Feiyan, and ultimately Xiao Banhe—became involved in the pursuit, interception, and ultimate revelation of the blades’ true secret.
Biography
Discovery of the Mandarin Duck Blades
Liu Yuyi served as Governor-General of Shaanxi-Gansu (川陕总督 – Chuān-Shǎn Zǒngdū) during the early Qing Dynasty, administering the northwestern territories that included modern-day Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. His high position within the imperial bureaucracy made him responsible for both civil administration and military affairs in these strategically important border regions, where the Qing government maintained vigilant control over territories adjacent to Central Asian lands.
The Qing Emperor, intrigued by persistent jianghu rumours about the Mandarin Duck Blades and their alleged connection to unparalleled martial arts secrets, dispatched trusted confidential agents to search throughout the jianghu for these legendary weapons. The blades’ reputation suggested they contained knowledge that could grant invincible martial prowess to whoever possessed them—a prospect of considerable interest to imperial authorities concerned with maintaining control over the martial arts world and its potential threats to dynastic stability.
Through circumstances not detailed in the narrative, Liu Yuyi’s agents successfully located the Mandarin Duck Blades within his jurisdiction. Whether the blades were discovered through systematic investigation, purchased from their previous owners, confiscated through official authority, or acquired through other means remained unspecified. Regardless of the acquisition method, Liu Yuyi found himself in possession of the jianghu’s most sought-after weapons, creating an immediate security challenge: how to transport these valuable and dangerous artefacts safely to the capital whilst avoiding the attention of martial artists who would certainly attempt interception if they learned of the blades’ location and intended destination.
Engaging Weixin Armed Escort
Understanding the magnitude of the task and the certainty of jianghu interference, Liu Yuyi required exceptionally reliable and skilled protectors for the blades’ journey. He selected Zhou Weixin, Escort Chief of Weixin Armed Escort (威信镖局 – Wēixìn Biāojú) based in Xi’an, Shaanxi, to undertake this critical mission. This choice demonstrated sound judgement: Weixin Armed Escort maintained an excellent reputation for successfully completing difficult escort assignments, whilst Zhou Weixin personally possessed both formidable martial skills and proven reliability in handling valuable cargo.
The selection of a commercial armed escort agency rather than imperial guards or military escorts suggested several strategic considerations. Professional escorts operated within jianghu conventions and could defend themselves against martial artists without creating the political complications that might arise from direct military confrontation with civilians. Additionally, using a private escort agency provided discretion—the shipment could be disguised as ordinary commercial cargo rather than obviously imperial property, potentially reducing unwanted attention during the journey.
Liu Yuyi entrusted the Mandarin Duck Blades to Zhou Weixin with instructions to transport them safely to the capital. This commission represented the highest-stakes assignment of Zhou Weixin’s career, as failure would disappoint not merely a commercial client but the imperial court itself, whilst success would bring honour and likely substantial reward. The Governor-General’s confidence in Weixin Armed Escort’s capabilities proved well-founded, as Zhou Weixin accepted the responsibility and prepared his escort team for the dangerous journey ahead.
Consequences and the blades’ journey
Liu Yuyi’s actions—discovering the blades and dispatching them towards the capital—served as the inciting incident for the entire narrative of The Mandarin Duck Blades. His decision created the conditions whereby the legendary weapons would travel through regions where various jianghu figures operated, inevitably drawing attention from those seeking the blades’ martial secrets.
The Four Xias of Taiyue, hoping to present the blades as a birthday gift to Xiao Banhe, attempted multiple times to intercept Zhou Weixin’s convoy, though their incompetence ensured repeated failures. Similarly, the married couple Lin Yulong and Ren Feiyan became entangled in the blades’ journey through coincidental encounters and misunderstandings, ultimately obtaining the weapons themselves and unwittingly carrying them to Xiao Banhe’s birthday celebration.
There, surrounded by assembled martial artists all seeking the blades’ secrets, the weapons’ true message was finally revealed: not martial techniques but moral wisdom, encapsulated in the phrase “The benevolent are invincible” (仁者无敌 – Rénzhě Wúdí). This revelation transformed the entire quest, demonstrating that true invincibility came not from martial superiority but from benevolent character—a lesson the various seekers learned only after the blades reached their final destination.
Role in the narrative
Liu Yuyi himself did not personally witness these subsequent events, having fulfilled his role by securing the blades and initiating their transport. His position as a high-ranking imperial official kept him distant from the jianghu conflicts his actions had inadvertently catalysed. Nevertheless, his discovery and dispatch of the Mandarin Duck Blades proved instrumental to the tale’s central revelation, serving as the catalyst that transformed legendary weapons from rumour into reality and set in motion the events that would teach the assembled martial artists their ultimate lesson about the true nature of invincibility.
Personality and traits
Liu Yuyi demonstrated administrative competence and strategic thinking in his handling of the Mandarin Duck Blades. His decision to use a commercial escort agency rather than imperial guards showed practical wisdom, understanding that discretion and jianghu conventions would be more effective than direct military force.
His historical record shows him to be a compassionate administrator who worked to alleviate popular suffering, such as his grain storage reforms in Shanxi. This benevolent character aligns with the ultimate message of the Mandarin Duck Blades: “The benevolent are invincible.”
Martial arts abilities
Liu Yuyi’s martial arts abilities are not detailed in the novel, as he appears primarily as an administrative figure rather than a martial artist. His role was to discover and dispatch the Mandarin Duck Blades rather than to wield them personally.
Relationships
Professional relationships
- Zhou Weixin - Escort Chief of Weixin Armed Escort, entrusted with transporting the Mandarin Duck Blades
- Qing Emperor - His imperial master who ordered the search for the Mandarin Duck Blades
Historical relationships
- Yongzheng Emperor - Served during his reign
- Qianlong Emperor - Continued service into his reign
- Various provincial officials and administrators under his jurisdiction
Behind the scenes
Historical basis and fictional adaptation
Liu Yuyi’s appearance in The Mandarin Duck Blades represents Jin Yong’s characteristic practice of incorporating historical figures into his fictional narratives, lending authenticity and temporal grounding to otherwise fantastical martial arts tales. The historical Liu Yuyi (1675–1748) served with distinction throughout the Yongzheng and early Qianlong reigns, holding numerous important posts that placed him exactly where Jin Yong needed an authoritative figure to discover and dispatch the legendary blades.
Historical career and achievements
The historical Liu Yuyi was born on 2 March 1675 in Wujin, Jiangsu (modern-day Changzhou), into a family with a tradition of scholarly and official service. His great-grandfather Liu Yingming was a local academy student (邑廪生 – yì lǐnshēng), his grandfather Liu Hanqing served as Magistrate of Baocheng County in Shaanxi, establishing the family’s connection to northwestern administration that would later prove relevant to Jin Yong’s fictional adaptation.
Liu Yuyi achieved jinshi degree status in 1712 (the 51st year of Kangxi’s reign), ranking as huikui (会魁 – huìkuí), finishing amongst the top performers in the palace examination. He began his career in the Hanlin Academy as a Compiler (编修 – biānxiū), where his written work earned imperial favour. His documents so pleased the emperor that he received consistent commendations, establishing his reputation for administrative competence and literary skill.
Administrative career progression
Liu Yuyi’s career demonstrated steady advancement through increasingly important positions. In 1723 (Yongzheng 1), he entered the Southern Study (南书房 – Nán Shūfáng), serving as Attendant Lecturer and Reader-in-Waiting. He was appointed Educational Commissioner of Shanxi (山西学政 – Shānxī Xuézhèng), where he first demonstrated the compassionate governance that would characterise his career.
During his tenure in Shanxi, Liu Yuyi observed that the province lacked adequate grain reserves, causing the common people to suffer hunger during the lean season between harvests. He memorialised the Yongzheng Emperor requesting that 40,000 taels of silver be allocated annually from surplus taxes to purchase rice for storage in granaries at Taiyuan, Pingyang, Lu’an, and Datong. This grain would be sold at fair prices to needy people in spring, then replenished through autumn purchases. The emperor ordered the concurrent Shanxi Governor Yi Duli to implement this policy, which significantly alleviated popular suffering.
In 1726 (Yongzheng 4), Liu Yuyi was appointed Vice Minister of the Granary Bureau (仓场侍郎 – Cāngchǎng Shìláng). He discovered that granary officials habitually substituted inferior rice for quality grain, selling the better rice for private profit—a corruption that had become entrenched practice. Liu Yuyi refused to tolerate this abuse, implementing strict inspections of grain entering and leaving storage, conducting random audits of remaining stocks, and eliminating opportunities for illicit trading. His reforms eradicated longstanding corrupt practices within the granary system.
River management and infrastructure
In 1730 (Yongzheng 9), Liu Yuyi was appointed Director-General of Zhili Waterways (直隶河道总督 – Zhílì Hédào Zǒngdū), a position requiring expertise in hydraulic engineering and river management. He discovered that transporting tribute grain via the Northern Canal incurred excessive costs and recommended retaining the grain in Tianjin, reducing subsidies whilst providing local officials with one per cent of the grain as operational allowance.
Liu Yuyi personally inspected construction sites, conducting field investigations of river conditions. When Vice Minister He Guozong proposed building fourteen chicken-heart sluices to control water flow, Liu Yuyi disagreed, arguing that “obstructing water should cease” and requesting instead that dam surfaces be expanded to avoid impeding waterways. The Yongzheng Emperor adopted Liu Yuyi’s recommendations, validating his hydraulic engineering expertise.
His later tenure as Zhili Waterways Director-General (1745–1747) during the Qianlong reign proved even more productive. Working with Zhili Governor-General Gao Bin, Liu Yuyi completed extensive river management projects over three years: dredging the Ziya River mouth, Feng River, Tahe Marshes, and Zhengding springs; opening branches of the Baigou and West Marsh rivers; straightening the East Marsh River; restoring irrigation canal sluices; and reinforcing embankments.
In subsequent years, he straightened the Huanxiang River, built embankments along the Yun-Ji River, excavated the Zhangqingkou branch river and new Xin’an River channel, widened the Guangli Canal, and eliminated bends in the Yongding River. His third year focused on dredging outlets at Tianjin’s Jiajikou, Jinghai’s Lubekou, Qingyun’s Majia River, and Yanshan’s Xuanhui River, whilst directing Tahe Marsh floodwaters into the Ji-Yun River. These comprehensive projects, completed in summer 1747, significantly improved Zhili’s water management infrastructure.
Northwestern administration and military support
In July 1732 (Yongzheng 10), Liu Yuyi was transferred to Shaanxi to serve as Acting Governor-General of Shaanxi-Gansu (署理陕甘总督 – shǔlǐ Shǎn-Gān Zǒngdū). The following year, he was formally granted the title of Minister of Personnel (吏部尚书 – Lìbù Shàngshū) whilst continuing to oversee Shaanxi-Gansu affairs. During this tenure, he devoted himself meticulously to official duties, memorialising numerous recommendations regarding military deployment and defensive fortifications, all of which received imperial approval.
His governance in the northwest proved particularly effective during a period of active military campaigns. He memorialised that military provisioning had driven grain prices prohibitively high, making military stipends insufficient to support troops. He requested the provision of seeds and agricultural tools for cultivating military colonies at Guazhou, teaching agricultural practices to Hui Muslim populations. As northwestern military operations continued, he supervised the construction of numerous fortifications, expanded irrigation canal networks, repaired the Lanzhou floating bridge, recruited displaced peoples for resettlement, and established horse breeding stations in Gansu and Liangzhou. All these initiatives demonstrated systematic planning and effective implementation.
Liu Yuyi’s contributions to northwestern administration spanned four years, during which he managed military colony establishment, fortress construction, refugee resettlement, and logistics for provisioning military grain and war horses. These achievements earned him imperial recognition as having rendered particularly meritorious service.
Career setback and recovery
In 1738 (Qianlong 3), Grand Secretary and Minister of War Chalangga impeached the military provisions officer Shen Qingya and others for “private transport and embezzlement of funds,” with Liu Yuyi implicated in covering for his subordinates. Following investigation, Liu Yuyi was dismissed from office and required to repay over 30,000 taels in compensation for barley and wheat price discrepancies.
However, the Qianlong Emperor, mindful of Liu Yuyi’s significant contributions to Gansu during the early Yongzheng reign—including military colony establishment, fortress construction, refugee resettlement, and logistics for military horses and grain—reinstated him in 1740 (Qianlong 5) as Acting Financial Commissioner of Zhili (署理直隶布政使 – shǔlǐ Zhílì Bùzhèngshǐ). Two years later, he was appointed Governor of Fujian (福建巡抚 – Fújiàn Xúnfǔ).
His subsequent career continued its upward trajectory. In 1743 (Qianlong 8), he was promoted to Minister of Revenue (户部尚书 – Hùbù Shàngshū), then transferred the following year to Minister of Personnel and Assistant Grand Secretary (吏部尚书兼协办大学士 – Lìbù Shàngshū jiān xiébàn dàxuéshì). In 1745 (Qianlong 10), he briefly served as Acting Governor-General of Zhili (署理直隶总督 – shǔlǐ Zhílì Zǒngdū) and was granted the additional rank of Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent (太子太保 – Tàizǐ Tàibǎo).
Death and posthumous honours
On 5 April 1748 (Qianlong 13), Liu Yuyi presented a memorial to the Qianlong Emperor in the Hall of Mental Cultivation (养心殿 – Yǎngxīn Diàn). Having knelt for an extended period during the audience, he attempted to rise but accidentally stepped on his garment’s hem, fell, and died from the impact. He was seventy-three years old (by Chinese reckoning, seventy-four sui). This sudden end to a distinguished career shocked the court.
The emperor granted him the posthumous name Wenke (文恪 – Wénkè), meaning “Cultured and Respectful,” honouring his scholarly achievements and dedicated service throughout multiple reigns. His sons Liu Fu (刘复 – Liú Fù), who served as Intendant of Grain Transport in Zhejiang, and Liu Yi (刘益 – Liú Yì) mourned their father’s unexpected death. His grandson Liu Yinbin (刘寅宾 – Liú Yínbīn) later achieved juren degree status in 1744 (Qianlong 9), continuing the family’s scholarly tradition.
Narrative function in The Mandarin Duck Blades
Within the novel’s narrative structure, Liu Yuyi functions as the catalyst figure who sets the plot in motion without directly participating in its central action. His discovery and dispatch of the blades represents the transition from static legend to active quest: the weapons transform from rumoured artefacts of uncertain location into concrete objects moving through space, thereby attracting the various seekers whose pursuits drive the story’s events.
This narrative role—the distant authority whose single decisive action creates cascading consequences—allows Jin Yong to begin his tale with inherent momentum. Rather than depicting the lengthy process of searching for the blades, the story opens with their location already known and their journey already commenced, immediately establishing the stakes and launching the various interception attempts.
Liu Yuyi’s offstage presence reinforces the tale’s thematic contrast between institutional power and jianghu independence: the imperial government could acquire the blades through official channels, but their ultimate meaning—“the benevolent are invincible”—represented values that transcended bureaucratic authority. The revelation occurred not through official discovery but through the moral growth of ordinary martial artists who possessed the weapons.
Appropriateness of historical figure selection
Jin Yong’s choice to use this particular historical figure proved appropriate for several reasons beyond simple temporal accuracy. The historical Liu Yuyi’s actual service as Governor-General of Shaanxi-Gansu provided the requisite authority and regional jurisdiction for discovering legendary weapons rumoured to be in northwestern regions. His reputation for administrative competence and successful completion of complex projects made credible his acquisition of the elusive blades where others had failed.
Moreover, Liu Yuyi’s historical character—marked by compassionate governance, incorruptible administration, and dedication to public welfare—created an interesting thematic resonance with the blades’ ultimate message. A governor-general who established granaries to feed the hungry and reformed corrupt practices embodied the benevolent character that the blades’ inscription praised as the true path to invincibility. This subtle alignment between the historical figure’s actual character and the fictional weapons’ moral lesson adds depth to Jin Yong’s borrowing of his identity.
The historical Liu Yuyi’s dramatic death whilst presenting a memorial to the emperor, though unrelated to the fictional Mandarin Duck Blades narrative, adds poignant historical context to Jin Yong’s use of his identity. A life of dedicated service ending suddenly through an accidental fall reminds readers of mortality’s unpredictability and the ephemeral nature of worldly achievement—themes that resonate with the novel’s ultimate message that true invincibility lies not in martial superiority but in moral character.
Minor character significance
Liu Yuyi exemplifies Jin Yong’s characteristic attention to even minor characters, providing them with historical grounding and functional clarity within the narrative. Though his appearance in The Mandarin Duck Blades comprises perhaps a single mention or brief scene at most, his role remains essential: without Liu Yuyi’s discovery and dispatch of the blades, the entire tale could not proceed.
This efficient use of supporting characters—present only as long as narratively necessary, then gracefully exiting—demonstrates Jin Yong’s economical storytelling in his shorter works. The practice of using historical figures for minor but crucial roles also reflects Jin Yong’s broader literary approach of grounding fantastic martial arts adventures in recognisable historical contexts.
Readers familiar with Qing Dynasty history might recognise Liu Yuyi’s name and appreciate the verisimilitude this lends to the fictional narrative. Even readers unaware of the historical basis benefit from the specificity—“Governor-General of Shaanxi-Gansu” rather than merely “a Qing official”—which creates a more vivid and concrete story world whilst honouring the memory of a capable administrator whose actual career demonstrated the benevolent governance the novel ultimately celebrates.
See also
- Mandarin Duck Blades characters
- Zhou Weixin – Escort Chief entrusted with transporting the Mandarin Duck Blades
- Mandarin Duck Blades – The legendary weapons he discovered
External links
- Liu Yuyi (Chinese) on Chinese Wikipedia