Lin Chen, a modern civil servant, suddenly transmigrates into the body of a poor scholar in the Great Yong dynasty, a man who has suffered every kind of abuse.
With no one to rely on and grievously injured, he finds himself in a desperate situation from the start.
He relies on no System, no martial arts, and no cheat powers. Instead, he uses three forms of hard-nosed modern thinking to carve his way through the ancient bureaucracy: he applies standardized administrative procedures to turn chaos into strict rules; he builds evidence-based cases so false accusations collapse and corruption has nowhere to hide; and he reads people and anticipates risks to grasp every faction’s weaknesses and demands. Rising from obscurity, he overturns wrongful convictions, clears away entrenched abuses, makes a name for himself in the imperial exams, and steps into the turbulent political world of the capital.
The court is full of hidden dangers, powerful relatives hold sway, princes compete for the throne, and no one’s true intentions are easy to read.
Though caught in a whirlpool of political schemes, he stays true to himself, breaking deadlocks with intelligence and persuading others with reason. He relies neither on the supernatural nor on outside help, using only institutional thinking and evidence to outmaneuver his rivals.
From a humble scholar, he rises by taking on corrupt officials, reforming the Six Ministries, introducing new policies, and stabilizing the court. With modern administrative thinking, he carves out a path to become a powerful statesman who commands the entire court. A lifetime of careful planning serves both the people and the world, without betraying his original ideals or those who understand him. In the end, he becomes a common-born minister whose name inspires admiration.
