After transmigrating into the Dream of the Red Chamber as the Lin family’s eldest son born to a concubine, Lin Zhao rose to the rank of Investigating Censor at just twenty-six. Ordered by imperial decree to investigate the Jiangnan salt scandal, he returns to his hometown under the pretext of caring for a sick relative, quietly setting off a storm at court.
The salt commissioner has embezzled two hundred thousand taels, while local officials and merchants are bound together in a web of corruption. Wielding the law as his blade, Lin Zhao advances with care, exposing hypocrisy and breaking deadly schemes as he takes on the whole game of political intrigue alone.
He roots out corrupt officials, repairs river dikes, plants sweet potatoes, and promotes agricultural reform. With one hand, he sweeps away the last snow with an incorruptible breeze; with the other, he enriches the people and brings peace to the land. After six years of ups and downs, he rises from a fifth-rank censor to one of the most powerful ministers in the Three Offices, face-slapping the great houses and setting the empire in order.
He protects Daiyu like a father would an elder brother, sternly guides Baoyu, and joins Shen Qingyuan in drawing up a vision for the world. In this life, the son of a concubine climbs to the summit and makes his name across the land.
