In his previous life, Yang Mo studied hard for ten years and passed the imperial examinations with flying colors, only to be ambushed and killed by bandits on his way to take up his post. Abandoned by the powerful and dying with a grievance, he was reborn just as he was about to leave for his appointment. Faced with an empty county office and wealthy local families watching him like hawks, he resolved not to repeat his past mistakes. The powerful saw Yang Mo as a thorn in their side and repeatedly schemed to frame him, determined to crush this poor scholar and protect their own interests. Yang Mo knew that unless he could break through their trap, he would die again, and his family's wrongful treatment would never be cleared.
In a corrupt officialdom where powerful clans colluded with one another, Yang Mo had little backing, and every effort to carry out his duties was stymied. Famine was on the way, yet the relief granaries were filled with sand and stones, while coded messages from the previous dynasty appeared in the tax ledgers. Every step was fraught with difficulty. In his previous life, he had been deceived and used by those he trusted. Reborn, he was wary of everyone around him, and misunderstandings arose one after another.
But with the memories he had brought back from his previous life, Yang Mo laid his plans with care. He wielded exam papers like blades and used account books as shields, fighting the powerful and wealthy in a siege with no soldiers or horses. As his investigation deepened, he gradually uncovered the conspiracy behind it all. Along the way, he also had to confront the bitter truth that there was no undoing what had happened in his past life to the people he had once cherished. In the end, Yang Mo changed his fate, broke the powerful classes' grip, and gave poor scholars a chance to show what they could do.
