Whispers of the Wind

A tale of espionage in ancient style: In the autumn of the 12th year of Jinghe, the Lin'an painter Fang Congjian receives a letter left by his deceased brother: "Go to the Listening Wind Pavilion in my place." His brother, Wan Ce, had been undercover in the Northern Dynasty's capital Yanjing for eleven years, verifying a secret pact between the powerful minister Kong Zhao and the Northern Dynasty. After being exposed, he was silenced by Kong Zhao's assassin, the Black Eagle. Fang Congjian, who took his mother's surname and had no public association with his brother, takes over the mission. With his photographic memory, he applies for a position at the Listening Wind Pavilion—ostensibly a painting and calligraphy shop, but actually a Northern Dynasty spy agency. From fingerprints on scrolls, secret writing in alum water, and hidden layers in mounting, he deciphers coded messages, identifies a mole, tracks the assassin, and pieces together the ironclad evidence of Kong Zhao's treason. Zhong Yi'an, Kong Zhao's adopted daughter, is ordered to monitor him, but wavers during their confrontations and gradually becomes a double agent. In the court, the disgraced veteran general Shi Jian and the upright official Qi Heng secretly maneuver. Fang Congjian gradually discovers: Kong Zhao cannot be toppled not because evidence is lacking, but because the Emperor does not want him toppled—the peace treaty needs Kong Zhao, Kong Zhao needs the Northern Dynasty, the Northern Dynasty needs the Listening Wind Pavilion, and he is merely the most insignificant link in this chain. How should he choose? — Description from novelcodex.orgFull novel: Whispers of the Wind — read the rest free on N​o⁠v​e⁠l​C⁠o​d⁠e​x⁠.​o⁠r​g⁠