The heir to the powerful Shen family, Ye Huan was cast out into the world after an internal family upheaval and spent twenty years living among ordinary people. He became a streetwise rogue whose catchphrase is, “Brother Huan makes his way in the world with integrity,” and who is an expert at every kind of scam. He shares a cramped apartment with his straight-A childhood friend Nan Qiaomu, a thief named Gouzi with “abysmal skills,” and Er Lü, an irritable shut-in. Together, they form a down-and-out “good-for-nothing alliance.” But when the truth about his family comes to light, Ye Huan is forced back into the maelstrom of power. He uses his rough-and-ready street smarts to stir up a storm, turning the tricks of a market-place scoundrel into a path to the top. Through schemes and betrayal, he fights his way to the throne. This is a clash between baseness and passion, and a legend about how an ordinary nobody reclaims the most dazzling life by the least respectable means.
