Chronicles of Zhaoqian

During the Jiajing reign, treacherous officials held sway. Grand Secretary Yan Song monopolized power and ran amok, brutally persecuting loyal ministers and able generals to eliminate his rivals. To protect themselves, most court officials chose to attach themselves to his faction. Although a few upright men disdained joining him, they too kept silent to stay out of trouble. From then on, the court grew complacent, with officials occupying their posts without doing their jobs, and corruption flourished. Years later, some surviving descendants of loyal officials secretly joined forces. Lin Zhao, son of a former Vice Director of the Ministry of Revenue, was one of them. Under Lin Zhao's leadership, they gathered evidence of the Yan faction's crimes and bided their time, ultimately helping Deputy Grand Secretary Xu Jie eradicate the faction.