Li Chen, a graduate student in the Department of Modern History, accidentally traveled to the reign of Renzong in the Northern Song Dynasty after Fan Zhongyan's reform failed, and became a down-and-out scholar. He knew that at this time the Northern Song Dynasty had already suffered from redundant officials, redundant soldiers, and redundant expenses. The rise of Xixia was eyeing the rise of the Western Xia Dynasty, and the crisis of national subjugation loomed. With his precise grasp of historical trends, Li Chen stood out in the imperial examination and entered the court. He fought against all opinions and proposed the reform program of "reducing redundant personnel, promoting water conservancy, and strengthening border defense", which was appreciated by Renzong. During this period, he met Su Qingyao, the daughter of a minister who was proficient in financial management, and the two worked together to implement reforms. Faced with all kinds of obstructions from the conservative leader Lu Yijian, the overt and covert attacks from the court, and the border threats and secret collusion from Xixia, Li Chen relied on historical wisdom and Machiavellian tactics to resolve the crisis step by step, gradually stabilize the political situation of the Northern Song Dynasty, and start a "new reform" of his own.
