Winds Rise in Jiangning

Tags: Intrigue among the common folk, violent aesthetics, cause and effect, jianghu slang, revenge with a twist

High-conflict historical suspense, wuxia, intrigue, and rebirth; historical intrigue, wuxia, and suspense.

When the Wind Rises in Jiangning

In the third year of Qingli, a red mist hangs over the river in Jiangning, while commercial rivalries simmer beneath the surface. Zhao Yunshen’s downfall sparks a crisis on every front: canal transport grinds to a halt, bandits run rampant, the four great merchant guilds lie in wait, and Liao, Xia, and Annam threaten the borders. Qin Siqing, daughter of a former judicial commissioner, joins the Three-Nine Prefecture Chamber of Commerce in its hour of crisis. Taking the helm of the river and sea trade routes, she advances step by step amid economic warfare and political schemes.

Yuan Zaiyu, a teacher at Dream-Chasing Academy, wields his brush like a blade. The Jiangning People’s Gazette dispels rumors and sets public opinion straight. He and Qin Siqing go from kindred spirits to allies, their feelings quietly blossoming amid flashing blades. Lei Hu, young master of the Hundred Blades Alliance, imprisons his father for the sake of love, while a mysterious man conceals the truth of his origins in the shadows. The court rivalry between Yan Shu and Han Qi holds Jiangning’s fate in the balance.

The livelihoods of ordinary people, the ambitions of poor scholars, the rivalries of merchant magnates, and the designs of neighboring nations intertwine into a vast web. This is a legendary commercial war entwined with debates over righteousness and profit, and with devotion to family and country. It is also an epic of a troubled age, of human nature, power, and steadfast resolve.