Lone Shadow on a Cold River: The Iron-Blooded Chief Minister's Road to Power

On a rainy night, one hundred thousand taels of official silver intended for disaster relief vanished without a trace. Every soldier escorting it was slaughtered, and the only thing left at the scene was a glaring White Lotus insignia.

The court was shaken, and the case had to be solved before the deadline! The Eastern Depot watched like a tiger waiting to pounce, while Shen Wei, Vice Minister of Punishments, was at his wits’ end.

Deep in the meditation halls of Baoguo Temple, the frail scholar Gu Zhao lay wrapped in furs. With a light tap of his fingertips and just a few words, he tore open a shocking mystery:

An inside job? Poisoned soldiers? The White Lotus insignia was nothing but a carefully plotted frame-up!

Shen Wei was overjoyed to find such a treasure, unaware that the “scholar in commoner’s clothes” was quietly rubbing the cold jade token hidden in his sleeve, a symbol of the highest authority in the martial world.

He was a “criminal” who had been cast down, and also the “Master of Cold River,” a man who stirred the winds and clouds.

The blood debt of the Wuwu Year massacre remained unpaid, and a monstrous conspiracy was already upon him.

The kill order from Cao Jin, the Eastern Depot’s chief commander, arrived with the cold night rain: “This man will not live past the third watch!”

Murderous intent lurked everywhere in the darkness, and the lone lamp in the temple flickered like a bean-sized flame.

The gentle physician Shen Qingqiu anxiously brought him medicine, unaware that the cold glint in the eyes of the person inside had already hardened into something tangible.

The intelligence from Liu Rushi, the leading courtesan of Lanyue Tower, was as sharp as a blade: Where had the stolen silver gone? The Eastern Depot’s death squad had reached the mountain gate!

From behind the scenes, he moved the pieces and turned the world upside down, making the wolves who hunted him fall prey to the darkness instead!

He dispelled the layers of fog surrounding the disaster relief case and turned his sword toward the demons and monsters infesting the imperial court!

From a “ruined man” lodging in a temple, to an imperial commissioner stirring up the Jiangnan region, he would ultimately ascend to the illustrious yet perilous position of Chief Councilor!

Beautiful women gave him their hearts, and kindred spirits stood by his side. Though surrounded by tenderness, he kept a steely resolve in his heart.

When the solitary figure by Cold River was reflected against the ninefold palace walls, this iron-blooded Chief Councilor’s road to glory was destined to be paved with bones, forged through strategy, and lit by an undying, loyal heart!