Story Synopsis:
In the twenty-first year of the Jiajing era, the aftershocks of the Renyin Palace Incident have yet to subside.
Yan Shifan, son of Grand Secretary Yan Song, was born with a damaged eye and a bulky frame. Yet he could read ten lines at a glance, entered officialdom through his skill at composing Daoist prayers, and harbored a world of ambition within him.
Bearing the name of "prodigy" and the halo of being "the Grand Secretary's son," which was also a shackle, he entered the blood-soaked arena of power.
This is no tale of an underdog rising from humble beginnings. It is a "prodigy's" wild dance at the pinnacle of imperial power.
Is Emperor Jiajing's pursuit of immortality impossible to fathom? Yan Shifan sees through the emperor's heart, using masterful audience responses to become his "mind and brain." Do the attacks from the upright officials come in waves? He turns the tables, weaving a web of political schemes to frame his rivals.
The affairs of state are in decay? He becomes the "puppet master," forging networks of profit through the salt and iron trades, nourishing the Yan faction while gnawing away at the foundations of the state.
He is Yan Song's shadow, and more than that, the core of the Yan faction. Under the shelter of his father's authority, he greedily seizes power, manipulates people with astonishing talent, and flaunts his influence through extravagant luxury.
From his first display of brilliance to his command over the entire court, "the Grand Secretary's son" ultimately becomes a double-edged sword, keenly honed in his own hands.
At the summit, danger lurks on every side: an aging father, a patient Xu Jie, mounting criticism from the upright officials, and the inscrutable sovereign deep within the palace... The shadow of prosperity giving way to decline quietly descends.
When Yan Song falls, can Yan Shifan's "prodigious genius" raise another storm from the brink of despair? From the pinnacle of power to the executioner's platform in Hainan, are these thirty-four years of political intrigue a triumph of calculating every twist of fate, or a tragic song of one who could not escape his destiny?
Witness the first "prodigy" minister in history as he writes a gripping epic of political intrigue amid the turbulent and treacherous Jiajing court!
