During the reign of Emperor Guangxu, Shen Mosheng failed the examination five times and became disheartened and entered the government office of Jiangning. Relying on his exquisite writing skills and insight into the rules of officialdom, he rose to prominence in the practical work of criminal names, money valleys, and river engineering. He used his pen as a sword to mediate among various forces, stirring up troubles in silent places. As a commoner, he profoundly affected the political pattern of Jiangnan in the late Qing Dynasty.
