Winter, the twenty-seventh year of Jiajing.
Zhu Mo, a clan member of the distant branch of Taizu, was demoted to a criminal clan due to an old case and was imprisoned in the other courtyard of the clan mansion in Nancheng.
The clothes were in tatters, the food was withheld, the charcoal fire was damp, and the hands were cracked by the cold.
A low-ranking official could decide his life or death, and he could be quietly buried in a mass grave with just "died of illness".
As the humblest clan member in the Ming Dynasty, he was even lower than the common people.
There is no system, no time-travel memories, no magical weapons, and no magical medical skills.
The only thing he had was a hand-written calligraphy and a half-worn copy of "Da Ming Law".
Survival is his only thought.
From forbearing to please the petty officials, to seizing a chance of survival by checking the roster;
From copying books in exchange for food, to working as a clerk in a government office;
From looking at people's faces and walking on thin ice, to dealing with the strict party and Qingliu;
He does not bet on destiny, does not hope for noble people, he only relies on observing people's words, figuring out people's hearts, and exploring the system.
Every step brings blood, every step brings danger.
In the cannibalistic officialdom of the Ming Dynasty, he went from being a humble sinner to the most powerful minister in the cabinet.
There are no cheats, no clever tricks, and no clever villains in this book.
The plot is realistic throughout, with shocking steps and a hard-core rise in officialdom.
