A modern soul unexpectedly falls into the fictional Great Yong Dynasty and becomes Shen Yan, the only legitimate son of the Shen family, a line of generals who guard the northern frontier.
For generations, the Shen family has defended the northern frontier, their loyal soldiers protecting Great Yong’s vast lands. But their achievements have made the emperor fear that they might overshadow him, and Zhao Heng deeply distrusts them. After generations of struggle, the family’s men have either died on the battlefield or fallen victim to false accusations. Now only a second uncle, crippled by an old injury, his parents, who are stationed at the frontier year-round, and his elderly grandmother remain. The family appears powerful and prestigious, but in truth it is hanging by a thread.
Shen Yan has possessed an adult soul and remarkable wisdom since he was old enough to remember. He understands the deadly dangers lurking beneath his family’s glory. Concealing his talents, he quietly makes his plans while still a child: using modern knowledge, he discreetly gathers war orphans and builds a secret force loyal only to himself; with keen insight into human nature, he navigates the undercurrents at court and among his family’s old retainers, clearing the way for his parents far away on the frontier; and, without drawing attention, he maintains his childhood betrothal to Su Qingyuan, daughter of the country’s wealthiest family. It is more than a promise made by their elders: she is a key piece on the game board of his future.
The people of the empire still remember the Shen family’s service in defending their homeland, and their respect is mingled with sympathy. Yet no one knows that the legitimate son of the Shen family is shouldering the burden of keeping his clan alive with his small shoulders. Caught between suspicion and the flames of war, he advances with care, determined to rewrite the fate that “those whose achievements surpass their ruler are doomed to perish,” protect his family, and carve out a path of his own to bring peace to this chaotic age.
