Jin Hou was born into a poor family. In his previous life, he came first in the imperial examinations, only to find the realm in ruins. After exposing corruption at court, he was stripped of his title, and ultimately died as his country fell. Reborn, he faces the same rotten court, where treacherous officials obstruct his every attempt at reform to protect their own interests. With enemy forces closing in and time running out, he must overcome the deadline to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of saving his country. But because he knows the deadly secret behind the corruption that destroyed it in his previous life, villains are hunting him down as well. The decayed court and its old institutions bring every kind of pressure to bear on him, placing him at odds with the treacherous officials filling the royal court. Slandered by a foolish emperor and his corrupt ministers, he is misunderstood by the world. Yet, relying on the advantages of his rebirth, he lays his plans in secret and gradually builds his own power. In the end, he successfully repels the invaders, but loses many friends and loved ones along the way. His victory is steeped in bitterness.
