The sudden death of a social animal turned him into a poor scholar in a ruined temple of the Tang Dynasty. He had no money and no strength. He had to pretend to survive!
Pretend to be weak to defraud food, pretend to be talented to deceive fools, pretend to be noble to get into Chang'an, pretend to be upright to get into officialdom.
From cakes in ruined temples to the delicacies of the royal family, from a poor family to a wise prime minister in the Tang Dynasty, Shen Qingci's career in the Tang Dynasty is all about his acting skills!
Anyway, life is like a play, it all depends on hard work and having enough food is the true meaning!