Shen Yan, editor of the Hanlin Academy, was ordered to go south to check the price of grain. He thought it was just an ordinary corruption case. However, in the crisis of being attacked on the official road and encountering an old friend when the temple was destroyed, he was accidentally involved in the shocking conspiracy of the governor of water transportation to smuggle official grain and collude with the imperial prince in Beijing.
An account book hidden in a green cloth gown became the only evidence to bring down the traitor, and also set Shen Yan and his old friend Zhou Mo on the road to escape. From the flames of the ruined temple to the wind of swords in the canal, from the deadly battle in Yangzhou City to the secret secrets in the deep palaces of the capital, they risked their lives to tear open the truth in the whirlpool of intrigues.
When the beacon fires in Jiangnan burned out and the dust settled in Beijing, this account book soaked in blood and tears finally brought the corrupt dignitaries to justice and allowed the displaced people to return to peace. And Shen Yan and Zhou Mo also completed their transformation from scholars to pillars in their journey to protect their homeland.
