Modern-day office drone Lin Jing opens his eyes to find himself in the body of a poor farm boy, only to have a “windfall” drop right into his lap: someone from the Minister of Personnel's household has arrived to honor an ancestral betrothal agreement and have him marry their daughter as a live-in son-in-law.
Faced with mockery across the capital and jeers that he's “living off a woman,” Lin Jing lets out a cold laugh. “Become a live-in son-in-law? You'll have to get past my pen and my plans first!”
He refuses to marry into the family and vows to wed Su Jiuli, the Minister's legitimate daughter, with all the proper betrothal rites.
But the young lady is sharp-witted and sharp-tongued. At their first meeting, she puts him in his place: “A country bumpkin thinks he's worthy of marrying me?”
Lin Jing takes it all in stride, using modern knowledge to make a place for himself in the Minister's household. In the study, he deftly answers age-old riddles and solves a tricky problem involving a hundred coins, leaving the tutor full of praise. In daily life, the “farming tips” he casually shares become the key to getting the Su family out of a bind.
Su Jiuli goes from looking down on him to gradually realizing that this country boy has plenty in his head. And when he faces the capital's powerful families, his “living off a woman without shame” kind of backbone is so damn captivating she can't take her eyes off him.
His father-in-law, Su Nanqing, initially intends to use him as a pawn. But after one clash and collaboration after another, he is astonished to discover that his son-in-law's vision and methods far exceed his expectations. Before long, Lin Jing becomes his most in-sync ally at court.
When Lin Jing passes the imperial exams with top honors at every level and stands in the Golden Throne Hall, the emperor asks with a smile, “I hear you owe everything you have to the Su family?”
Lin Jing replies in a ringing voice, “The Su family gave me a tailwind. I'll give them clear skies stretching for thousands of miles. I have nothing to be ashamed of, and I live with my head held high!”
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