Qin Ge, a modern chemistry PhD, is transported in spirit to the Qin dynasty after a laboratory accident and becomes Ying Xi, a sidelined prince and half-brother of Hu Hai. The First Emperor has just died, Zhao Gao has forged the imperial edict to install Hu Hai as emperor, and Ying Xi is placed under surveillance because of his closeness to Fusu. To protect himself, he feigns madness while secretly using modern knowledge to manufacture goods like soap and glass. He contacts former retainers of the Meng clan, recruits a band of loyal fighters, and builds a trade and intelligence network. When Zhao Gao’s faction turns against itself, he launches a surprise attack on the palace in the name of “cleansing the court,” kills Zhao Gao, and reclaims power. Once in control, he lightens taxes and labor levies, develops technology and industry, improves agriculture and the military, and expands into the Western Regions and overseas. In the end, he leads Great Qin into an unprecedented golden age and rewrites the course of history.
