Liu Yan transmigrates to the parallel world of the Yan Dynasty, where history took a sharp turn at the end of the Yuan.
There is no Zhu Yuanzhang here, only a Ming-like dynasty that has lasted 276 years.
Seeing his father coughing up blood and rain leaking through their thatched roof, the medical student Liu Yan decides to tackle the problem of getting enough to eat first.
He improves the tofu recipe, using bitter brine to make tender, smooth white tofu and astonishing the neighbors.
Soap and printing technology quietly transform life in the small town through the Liu family's businesses.
On the road to the imperial examinations, he is suppressed by the scholarly establishment: “Practical studies are mere frivolous tricks!”
In his palace examination essay, he presents his Theory of Sea Power: Whoever controls the oceans controls the world.
The emperor circles his name in vermilion ink: “This young man belongs in the Weapons Bureau.”
But Liu Yan submits a memorial: Your Majesty, first take a look at the improved matchlock I designed:
It has a range of 300 paces and a misfire rate of just one in a thousand.
