Main plot:
The protagonist Gu Xuan, a poor ancient scholar, started his career as a storyteller in a small teahouse with his entertainment ideas that transcended the times when he had no hope of taking the imperial examination and struggled to make a living. He abandoned the traditional straightforward narrative, introduced modern narrative techniques such as "suspense", "burden", "character" and "serialization", and adapted stories such as "Journey to the West" and "Water Margin" into suspenseful and fascinating stories, which quickly became popular throughout the city.
With the accumulation of fame and wealth, Gu Xuan was not satisfied with storytelling. He began to form his own theater troupe, create epoch-making dramas, create ancient "stars", run a fan economy, and build a huge entertainment empire. In the process, he continued to deal with and fight against the conservative Liyuan Guild, the powerful people who coveted his wealth, and the court forces who wanted to use his influence. In the end, Gu Xuan not only became a wealthy business tycoon, but by controlling public opinion and culture, he became a "player" that even emperors were afraid of. He used soft power to create a unique path to power in ancient society.
