付梓於清中葉的《花月痕》，一般被歸類於狎邪小說，內容也確實以韋癡珠、劉秋痕/韓荷生、杜采秋兩對愛侶的繾綣纏綿為主旋律。然而，這部作品同時也是作者魏秀仁的自況之作，除抒發仕途不遇的鬱悶之外，更反映了當時中國所面臨的變局，包括鴉片戰爭、英法聯軍、太平天國、回變、捻軍等傷痕。饒富意味的是，魏秀仁在提到相關事件時，皆以「逆倭」作為影射，有意識地將歐洲殖民者架空為倭寇入侵，並由韓荷生蕩平敵軍，恢復天朝秩序為發展。這樣的敘事策略，召喚了時人對明朝倭寇騷擾之記憶，將日本/歐洲等量齊觀，關鍵在於同樣揚帆而來的海洋威脅，衝擊了中國封閉的陸權地位；此外，倭寇與沿海居民的串連、南倭北虜的蹂躪，更合理地轉化為小說中內叛與外侮的沆瀣一氣。從現實的艱辛考量，韋癡珠貧病交加、銅駝荊棘的淒楚，劉秋痕亦隨之殉情的結局，象徵了中國無力於抵禦内憂外患的困境；然而，魏秀仁同時刻劃了韓荷生談笑封侯、攬轡澄清的得意，杜采秋亦典封一品夫人，可以說是作者對於中國浴火重生、夷狄歸化的秩序觀想像－透過兩種政治生涯的隱喻，當能看出小說家對時局的焦慮與寄託。

Hua Yue Hen, which completed in middle Qing dynasty is generally regarded as a novel about prostitution. However, this work also reflected the author Wei Xiu-ren's situation. Not only his personal political frustration, but also included the Opium War, the Franco-British expedition to China, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Dungan Revolt, and the Nian Rebellion, etc. Interestingly, when the novel referring to the relevant events, usually looked upon European settlers as the invasion of Wokou. For Chinese, Japanese and Europeans were the same enemies, because both of them came from the ocean. In addition, collusion between pirates and traitors, as well as the ravages of the Yamato on the south and the Tatars on the north in Ming dynasty, reasonably be transformed into conspiracy of rebel leaders and foreign invaders in Hua Yue Hen. Besides, the protagonist Wei Chi-zhu was so poor and sick, suggesting that Qing government unable to resist the successive wars. However, the author also let Han He-sheng perfectly defeat the enemies, to express the expectation that China must can rise from the ashes, and get the submission of barbarians. Through two political roads, we can see Wei Xiu-ren's anxiety and aspiration.