The Noble Son of a Humble Family: From Slacker to Imperial In-Law

Outwardly carefree but secretly gifted with extraordinary skills, Lin Xiaofan is a poor-born youth living a life of “giving up” in a small town in Jiangnan. He gets by on quick wits and a silver tongue. Then a murder case uncovers the mystery of his origins: he is the sole surviving heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's family, massacred fifteen years ago, and carries the blood of both the imperial house and a family of military officers.

To uncover the truth about what happened and survive in a world that devours the weak, Lin Xiaofan has no choice but to set aside his laziness and enter the imperial examinations as a poor-born scholar. There, he discovers that his seemingly ordinary tutor is actually a reclusive master renowned throughout the land; the blind old woman next door who loves listening to his stories was once the palace's foremost female official; and even the little beggar who pesters him for wine money every day has a hidden past...

From the county exams to the palace examination, from humble beginnings to the imperial court, Lin Xiaofan earns academic honors with one hand and builds influence in the martial world with the other. Using a modern mindset to master the rules of ancient society, he drives his enemies up the wall one by one and gathers his friends to his side. When the truth finally comes to light, he discovers that the massacre was tied to a change in imperial power and a border conspiracy. He himself has long been the pivotal piece on this grand chessboard, one that no one dares move.