A modern junior civil servant is ready to lie flat, but one terrible hangover sends him back to start over with his studies. Beginning with a street stall, he uses his knowledge of the times to build wealth, seize opportunities at the forefront of the reform wave, compete with foreign capital, and pursue new technology by fair means or foul. He rises steadily from the lowest rungs of the bureaucracy, deftly navigating among its powerful figures. He tackles unprecedented challenges with ease and resolves the painful problems of reform as they arise, establishing a new center of wealth and power. Scheming, bureaucratic struggles, and covert battles reveal the many sides of life.
