After Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Jian, unified the world, he was deeply aware of the shortcomings of the old recommendation and hereditary system, and resolutely created the imperial examination system to select officials through examinations. It opened a door to power and ideals for countless children from poor families. It was known in history as the "Emperor's Imperial Examination".
The story takes Luoyang, the eastern capital of the Sui Dynasty, as the core stage. Sun Jieyu, the son of a merchant, stood out among thousands of students with his unique talent and became the first imperial examination winner in the Sui Dynasty, making him famous all over the world. Not only did he enter the Imperial Academy, he was also appreciated by Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty and was regarded as a benchmark for the New Deal. However, behind the glory, there are dangers. The conservative clan forces in the court, represented by Li Yuan, Yu Wenji, and Wang Paluo, regarded the upstarts of the imperial examination as a thorn in their side, and constantly caused disturbances inside and outside the court, intending to kill this new system.
At the same time, the spark of science is also quietly sprouting. Sun Jieyu and Fan Yumeng, who also passed the Jinshi examination while disguised as men, as well as the mathematical genius Meng Shuguang, the physics wizard Qiu Dayan and other aspiring people, advocated the addition of practical subjects such as arithmetic and investigation of objects in the imperial examination, and advocated "rejuvenating the country through science and technology." Although they fought for a place in front of the emperor, they were fiercely suppressed by the huge bureaucracy that relied on Confucian classics. Meng Shuguang's extreme thoughts and Qiu Dayan's optical telescope, these epoch-making discoveries, not only were not taken seriously, but were denounced as "strange and obscene techniques" that offended the gods, triggering fear and suppression in the hearts of the ruling class.
On the other hand, the huge wealth that the Sun Jieyu family quickly accumulated by improving textile technology and establishing industries impacted the old economic order and attracted the covetousness and frame-up of corrupt officials.
