There was a severe drought in the 12th year of Yongchang. Yun Zhan, a farmer, was orphaned in the famine. However, he was rescued by a hermit because of his gift of photographic memory and embarked on the road to the imperial examination. When he first showed his talents in the county examination, he was framed by the children of the aristocratic family and formed a feud with Zhao Hong, the son of a grain merchant. After entering Qinglu Academy, he started a rivalry with Xie Qinglan, a talented girl from Jiangnan, and accidentally got involved in an old case of the former imperial court.
From being framed in the provincial examination and nearly being deposed, to being involved in a feud between princes in the general examination, Yun Zhan won the emperor's appreciation for his insights in "Shui Jing Zhu", but found out that his mentor was deeply involved in the "Jimao Examination Case" twenty years ago. Half of a jade piece engraved with "Chongwen" connects the mystery of his life experience with Xie Qinglan's, and also uncovers the shady story of fraud that has lasted for twenty years.
Above the Golden Palace, powerful ministers set deadly traps. Yun Zhan used the "Twelve Strategies for Managing the World" to directly attack the long-standing drawbacks of the imperial examinations, and joined forces with Xie Qinglan to tear apart the network of interests spanning the government and the public. In the end, this poor student lost his youthfulness, kept his true heart in the whirlpool of power, and chose to turn around at the peak of his fame and fulfill his oath of "establishing a heart for the world and a life for the people" in his own way.
