The Rise and Fall Beneath the Wanli Sky Screen

Starring the fictional Xu Guangqi, a character inspired by but not directly based on the historical Xu Guangqi, this story follows his rise from a low-ranking official in Jiangnan to a key aide to Zhang Juzheng during the reforms. Through his role in implementing the Single Whip Law, it depicts the reforms’ impact on the gentry and farmers, as well as the power struggles within the bureaucracy. (This is a brainless read, so please don’t use your brain while reading.) I wrote myself into a corner 😂