The Lone Minister of Five Dynasties

During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, wars raged and dynasties changed like a revolving lantern, with military men ruling and lives hanging by a thread. Feng Dao, a poor scholar, lived through this turbulent era, serving eleven emperors across five dynasties and steadily holding the position of prime minister, becoming the highly controversial 'unshakeable official' in history. He abandoned the traditional constraint of loyalty to a single surname, dedicating his life to the welfare of the people and the preservation of culture: in famine years, he distributed his wealth to aid neighbors; in court, he tactfully advised emperors to reduce taxes and corvée; when the Khitan army besieged Bianliang, he sacrificed his reputation to save hundreds of thousands of lives; and he spent over twenty years overseeing the woodblock printing of the Nine Classics, preserving the flame of civilization in a chaotic era. He was tactful in his dealings, incorruptible, and refrained from forming factions or abusing power, repeatedly escaping danger amidst mutinies, power struggles, and foreign threats. Yet, due to his multiple changes of allegiance and submission to foreign rule, he bore the millennium-long stigma of 'loss of integrity.' This book, grounded in detailed historical records, weaves together his rise and fall and court intrigues, deeply analyzing his survival wisdom, governance philosophy, and inner struggles, and dialectically examining his merits and faults. Through Feng Dao's tumultuous life, it reflects on the officialdom of the Five Dynasties, explores the eternal choices between integrity and pragmatism, reputation and the welfare of the people, offering profound historical lessons for future generations. — Description from novelcodex.org