In the Dajing Dynasty, the imperial examination was the only way out for poor families, but the wealthy families had already monopolized resources and manipulated the rankings. Shen Yanqiu was born in a poor scholar family in the south of the Yangtze River. His father died of an illness unjustly because he refused to be cheated by powerful officials. With his family surrounded by poverty, only the imperial examination could reverse his father's case and change his destiny.
