Great Tang: The Master of Slacking Off

Han Wen was a top modern-day game designer who died suddenly from overwork after years of cutthroat competition. He transmigrated to the Zhenguan era and became the magistrate of Yunxi County, a poor district on the outskirts of Chang’an. Haunted by his past life as a relentless workaholic, he vowed to lie flat this time around and become a carefree, idle official. “What a hassle” and “Let’s get this over with so I can clock off” were his daily catchphrases.

But his innate sense of responsibility and a designer’s systematic way of thinking kept making him act against his will. To avoid dealing with irrigation headaches, he improved the waterwheels. To make shopping more convenient, he built a market. To reduce disputes over legal cases, he introduced new regulations. Before he knew it, he had turned a barren county into a prosperous model district.

Along the way, he met Li Ruoxi, the daughter of the former county magistrate. What began as her misunderstanding his “lazy governance” grew into a deep bond between two like-minded people who governed side by side. When local bullies made trouble and court officials framed him, he used his “slacker-style governance” to turn their schemes against them and defuse each crisis. In the end, Li Shimin hailed Han Wen as a genius of statecraft. He achieved his ultimate dream of lying flat in a position of power, with little responsibility, and used modern wisdom to make a lasting mark on the glory of the Tang dynasty.