The Old Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty Plays It Safe

Take a good look. The man standing before you is the guardian deity of the Ming dynasty, Emperor Jiajing's close comrade, the Cabinet Grand Secretary's beloved son, and the world's richest man in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The mastermind who controlled half the Ming Cabinet for over half a century, the gravedigger of the hereditary fief system, the second Yan Shifan in the eyes of the Donglin faction, and the man Zhang Juzheng declared unbeatable. Hai Rui's confidant, Xu Wei's patron, the man who tonsured Matteo Ricci, and the mentor of six top scholars, including Xu Guangqi. The Ming poetry scene's fig leaf, author of over seven hundred books across every field, inventor of more than two thousand seven hundred patents, and founder of modern universities and science. The protector of overseas Chinese, pioneer of new sea routes, guardian of the oceans' order, and contractor for major global projects. The culprit behind Europe's turmoil, Tokugawa Ieyasu's adoptive father, Sebastian's savior, and the young grand secretary who devoted himself to the people...

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