It is the time of the Warring States, an imaginary period in Chinese history....On a business visit to Xian, Elder Master Yuan is imprisoned by the greedy governor of Xian. The governor demands ransom money from Lady Yuan. In the hope of securing her husband's release, she sends bags of gold coins to the governor. This continues for two years until she and her children are stripped of all their wealth - and when Lady Yuan is unable to provide any more gold or money, the governor has Elder Master Yuan killed. This book has all the surviving letters that Elder Master Yuan wrote to his wife and children from prison...The letters contain all the wisdom the father wanted to share with his children, the Younger Yuan and Lin...