Li Xuan transmigrates to the end of the Yuan dynasty and becomes a low-ranking county magistrate. He activates the Good Official System, which grants him rewards whenever he earns people’s approval.
Before long, the people of Jiangsu and Zhejiang have surplus grain and clothes to wear. Everyone can live in peace, with something to look forward to and hope for the future!
Li Xuan becomes the official in Jiangsu and Zhejiang best known for getting things done, and the one most beloved by the people.
Then Li Xuan joins the effort to manage the Yellow River. Just as the work is about to bear fruit, a eunuch arrives with an imperial edict from the Yuan emperor, stripping Li Xuan of his office and throwing him in prison.
“Li Xuan, you secretly manufactured armor and nurtured bandits to strengthen your own position.”
“You colluded with merchants, blinded by greed, and drove the people into poverty!”
“The grand mansion where you live, the iron mine continuously worked in the back hills, and the ledgers in your study are all proof!”
Facing these false accusations, Li Xuan is dumbfounded:
“Armor made from refined iron? Those are clearly farming tools!”
“Collusion with merchants? But the GDP under my rule has grown a hundredfold!”
Li Xuan is then demoted and made a county magistrate in Haozhou, left on the political sidelines for good.
But after Li Xuan leaves,
the Yuan dynasty, whose prospects had once looked so bright, is utterly transformed!
The Yellow River bursts its banks, unleashing a catastrophic flood with countless casualties.
A great many people lose their jobs, and tax rates soar to levels not seen for two hundred years.
Liu Futong: “A stone man with one eye will stir the Yellow River and turn the realm against us! Li Xuan has been demoted. Let’s see who can stop me now!”
Zhu Yuanzhang: “Li Xuan? He’s mine now!”
…
After conducting an investigation,
the Yuan emperor finally realizes he has cut the artery while laying people off!
Li Xuan is the only one who can save the Yuan dynasty. But even after being offered a high official rank and generous salary, Li Xuan refuses to return.
“You were the one who demoted me. Am I to blame if your dynasty falls?”
