The River’s Keystone

[Power struggles in officialdom + three generations + one female lead + rising from the grassroots!] The sea stretches to the horizon, where the sky becomes its shore; I climb to the mountain's peak and become its summit. Thirty-eight years of hardship and struggle bear witness to the transformation of an elite university graduate in the arena of power: he sheds his scholarly air and conceals his edge. This is not only the story of a young official's growth, but also a realist tale woven from family conflicts, political maneuvering, and the tides of an era. When ideals collide with unspoken rules, and family ties become entangled with power, how will Lin Zhiyuan find his own way through the mire?

(The story starts slowly, beginning with the provincial civil service exam. If that's not your thing, you can skip to Chapter 14.)