Chai Jin is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the four great classical novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Little Whirlwind", he ranks 10th among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny. Background and history The novel depicts Chai Jin as handsome-looking with eyebrows like those of a dragon, eyes like those of a fenghuang, red lips and white teeth. He is descended from Chai Rong, the second emperor of the short-lived Later Zhou dynasty. The Later Zhou general Zhao Kuangyin usurped the imperial throne from Chai Rong's young son, Chai Zongxun, in the Coup at Chen Bridge of 960 AD and became the founding emperor of the Song dynasty. According to Water Margin, Zhao Kuangyin felt guilty about the usurpation so he treated the Chai clan well, granting them many privileges which were later passed on to their descendants. Among these was immunity from prosecution except for capital crimes. The privilege was inscribed in a danshu tiequan (丹書鐵券; literally, "iron certificate inked in red"). Chai Jin inherits his ancestors' residence in Cangzhou, Hebei, and the danshu tiequan. Lin Chong, Wu Song and Song Jiang have all sought shelter in Chai Jin's residence when they were on the run from the law. That is because Chai could guarantee them safety with his danshu tiequan, which also bars the authorities from searching his house. Fairly good in martial arts, Chai is known to open his door to all chivalrous men and will provide them generously with money when they leave. Many Liangshan outlaws regard him as their protector embedded in high society. Imprisonment Yin Tianxi is the brother-in-law of Gao Lian, the prefect of Gaotangzhou (高唐州; around present-day Gaotang County, Shandong) and cousin of Grand Marshal Gao Qiu, who serves in the imperial court in Dongjing. Covetous of the mansion of Chai Jin's uncle, Yin has been harassing the family to force them to surrender it for free. As the old man would not budge, the latter orders his thugs to beat him up. Chai Jin hurries from Cangzhou to Gaotangzhou when told of his uncle's condition, but the latter soon dies from his injuries. Yin comes again to seize the house. He orders his men to beat Chai Jin, who obstructs his way at the gate. Liangshan's Li Kui is with Chai at that time as he has been ordered to stay away