During the reign of the weak Emperor Huizong (1082 – 1135) of the Song Dynasty, the Jin Tartars attacked China and conquered the northern provinces. The people of the capital Bianliang fled southwards, among them the young and beautiful Yaoqin with her father and mother. They joined the flood of refugees, but were separated by a troop of marauding imperial soldiers. Having lost sight of her parents Yaoqin travelled alone, until the greedy Bu Qiao found her and sold her to a brothel. From that day on, Yaoqin's only wish was to break the fetters of her bondage. About the Author:Feng Menglong (simplified Chinese: 冯梦龙; traditional Chinese: 馮夢龍; pinyin: Féng Mènglóng, 1574-1645) was born in the city of Changzhou, now Suzhou, in China's Jiangsu Province. He is today best known as the compiler of three collections of vernacular short stories, Stories Old and New, Stories to Caution the World and Stories to Awaken the World. Feng Menglong collected and rewrote a great number of folk tales, saving them from oblivion. He was a champion of vernacular literature and contributed more than any other to elevate its status. His works depict the lives of people from all social classes of ancient Chinese society – merchants, monks, courtesans, artisans, fortune-tellers, prostitutes, government officials.The Oil Vendor and the Queen of Flowers is one of Feng Menglong's most popular stories and is still widely read in the Chinese-speaking world.