Yin Zhi, a poor scholar, died unjustly and was reborn three years before the imperial examinations. In his previous life, he was framed and killed for exposing the fraud of the great aristocratic clans. The half-finished manuscript his mother had kept to protect him was also taken away. Reborn with the memories of his previous life, Yin Zhi becomes a shrewd strategist, using his knowledge of the future to plan every move. Without revealing that he has been reborn, he must draw on the emperor’s covert support for humble-born scholars to fight the united oppression of the three great aristocratic clans. Confronted by the close friend who betrayed him, the mentor who framed him, and the powerful men who used him, Yin Zhi must avenge himself and protect those he holds dear. More than that, caught between the aristocratic clans and imperial power, he must become the sharp blade that severs the clans’ lifeline. As the imperial examinations draw near, Yin Zhi must break the deadly trap the clans have laid for him. Otherwise, not only will he die, but all hope of the humble-born rising will be extinguished forever.
