Confucian Statecraft

Feng Guo, a poor young scholar, unexpectedly comes into possession of a lost manuscript left behind by a great Confucian scholar of a former dynasty, drawing him into the hidden currents of court politics. The powerful clans obstruct him at every turn to protect their own interests. Yet as a commoner, he must break through class barriers to offer solutions when the emperor seeks advice on governing the realm and crises erupt on the northern frontier and across the flood-stricken south. A man devoted to the teachings of the sages, he faces a painful choice between holding to the right path and currying favor with the powerful. Born into poverty and short on resources, he is also ostracized by the great clans, forcing him into a difficult choice of sides. Their slander turns the emperor against him, and even after he successfully resolves the crises, he faces still more attacks for threatening their interests. But with knowledge and wisdom far ahead of his time, Feng Guo finds a way through adversity, gradually reshaping the court and showing the realm what it truly means for the world to belong to all.