During the Yonghe era of the Eastern Jin, powerful minister Huan Wen launches three northern expeditions, while undercurrents surge through the court and the realm.
Lu Wenyuan, a lowborn clerk in the military administration, discovers that the military reports he handles come in two versions. On a rainy night, a mysterious merchant forces him to deliver a strange bamboo slip, but after the handoff, the contact is found dead beneath Zhuque Bridge. Lu Wenyuan is swept into a deadly game between three factions: Xu Miao, Huan Wen’s trusted aide, threatens him with his younger sister’s land and orders him to spy on political rival Xie An. The Xie household, however, offers him jade as a gesture of goodwill, while Xie Qingyi, Xie An’s daughter, repeatedly tests him. An even more mysterious organization, using “The Waning Moon Shines on the Water” as its sign, leaves behind conclusive evidence of corruption in the army and a packet of powder called “Three-Day Drunk.”
As the northern expeditionary forces prepare to take their oath, every clue points to a shocking conspiracy that could upend the court and the realm. Lu Wenyuan holds evidence powerful enough to ignite chaos, but he does not know whom to trust. In the shadows, a silk pattern bearing the words “The Waning Moon Shines on the Water” is quietly weaving a deadly trap, closing in around its prey…
Piece? Chess player? This is not a constant element The second volume of "A Chess Piece: Looking North to the Central Plains" has been online. I hope friends will continue to watch and comment. Thanks.
The writing is very good and the plot is also good.
Ingenious idea, excellent work