Stealing the Mandate of Han

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, a minor official sorts through piles of old documents in the Lantai, the royal library. His life should have been as obscure and forgotten as the dusty bamboo slips he handles, until he accidentally discovers a batch of damaged slips that no one cares about. The writing on them can predict the future with uncanny accuracy, from a fire in the palace to the Yellow River bursting its banks. His initial terror turns into an inescapable vortex as he anonymously saves lives and averts disasters time and again. His gift of “foresight” eventually catches the attention of the ambitious yet suspicious and distrustful ruler, Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che.

Liu Che sees Gu Xuantong as either an auspicious gift from Heaven or a demon hiding in plain sight. Forced into court and made to serve at the emperor's side, Gu Xuantong must tread carefully. He has to use those scattered, dangerous “secrets of Heaven” to carve out a chance of survival for himself and the realm amid the stormy currents of court, while also seeking the true origin of the mysterious slips. Every prophecy is a high-stakes gamble: victory brings good fortune to all the people, while defeat means utter ruin. Will he become the hero who ushers in an unprecedented golden age, or a sacrifice swallowed whole by heavenly secrets and imperial power?