Shen Yan, a modern associate professor of history who specializes in the political institutions of the Sui and Tang dynasties, with particular expertise in finance and law, was sorting through excavated Tang documents when he accidentally touched a bronze tally engraved with the words "Zhenguan." He transmigrated to Chang'an in the ninth year of Wude (626 AD), on the eve of the Xuanwu Gate Incident. When he awoke, he was a low-ranking clerk under the Jingzhao Prefecture, responsible for delivering an urgent report to the Prince of Qin's residence about resettling refugees in the Guanzhong region. At that very moment, he witnessed the coup's opening moves.
Shen Yan's dealings with Li Shimin
With his precise knowledge of history, Shen Yan knew the key turning points of the Xuanwu Gate Incident. To protect himself, and out of admiration for the Zhenguan Reign, he risked slipping past the blockade and secretly reported the movements of the Eastern Palace and the Prince of Qi's residence to the Prince of Qin. His warning bought Li Shimin half an hour to prepare. After the coup, while Li Shimin was purging the Eastern Palace's remaining supporters, he discovered this seemingly prescient report and summoned Shen Yan for questioning. Claiming that he had "read the heavens and observed the people's hearts" (he dared not reveal that he had transmigrated), Shen Yan drew on his research into the abuses of the late Sui to propose three policies: lighten taxes and labor service, simplify the laws, and resettle refugees. Every suggestion addressed a pressing problem of the day, impressing Li Shimin, who made an exception and transferred him to the Hongwen Academy to serve at his side.
Key plotlines in advancing the Zhenguan Reign
1. Rectifying the flaws in Sui law
2. Resolving the financial crisis
3. Balancing the power of the great clans and reforming the civil service examinations
4. Assisting with diplomacy and military affairs
