The Golden Armor Defies Fate

In the Great Yong Dynasty, the resentful dead weep blood at the imperial tomb construction site. Cai Chen, a country boy, sees his family conscripted and slaughtered. Aspiring to serve the world, he sets out to pursue a career through the imperial examinations, only to be framed by corrupt officials and crushed by wealthy merchants, landing in prison. Poems he wrote in his cell unexpectedly spread far and wide. While being sent to the frontier, he escapes under cover of a rainstorm and finds a hidden village deep in the mountains. There, he uses knowledge from a later age to unite the people, develop industries, and quietly build up his strength. Meanwhile, golden chrysanthemums bloom throughout the imperial capital. The emperor indulges in luxury, and the common people are reduced to eating their own children. In a capital brothel, Cai Chen writes, "The whole city wears golden armor." With a single poem, he shakes the world, raises the banner of rebellion, and gathers worthy allies, vowing to tear down the rotten dynasty and bring peace and prosperity to all.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.