The court is turbulent, and in troubled times, Lin Chen, a scholar from a poor family, is involved in a temple dispute in order to save his family. He uses wisdom, humor and "little man wisdom" to deal with the powerful and the aristocratic family. Together with Su Jinyao, a young lady from an aristocratic family, and Jia Juaner, a witty friend, they experience official traps, family strife, power games, and even the intrigues of the dynasty. With powerful enemies eyeing them from the outside, and cronies fighting each other inside, Lin Chen and others realized their identity transformation through step-by-step exploration and subversion, cooperation and betrayal. Finally, he won the victory amidst laughter and blood and tears, but found that the "real power" is not to control everything, but to have a confidant that is hard to find and a belief that is hard to protect. In a fast-paced narrative that is both humorous and profound, the book uses Lin Chen's mellowness, kindness and intelligence to depict the struggle of small people in the great era and the glory of human nature under the confusion of power.
