In the thirteenth year of Yongjinghe's reign, the imperial power declined. Half of the court was occupied by nobles from aristocratic families, and relatives relied on the power of the harem to press forward step by step. It was difficult for a poor family member to become an official, and if he was not careful, he would become a pawn in the game between the two major forces. Shen Yan, a boy from a poor family in Wuxian County, Jiangnan, whose father was once the chief clerk of the county government, was involved in an old case of grain embezzlement in Jiangnan, and was framed by the aristocratic family's minions and imprisoned. His family property was confiscated and his family was displaced. Shen Yan hid his hatred since he was a child and studied hard for ten years. Zai, with a tenacity that refused to admit defeat, he passed the provincial examination, the joint examination, and the imperial examination. He ranked tenth among the top two and became a Jinshi. He was awarded the post of editor of the Hanlin Academy and entered this capital that was envied by everyone but was always murderous. He has no family background, no backers, and no friends. He stands alone in the maelstrom of power in Beijing. He just wants to stay low-key and look for opportunities to overturn his father's case and protect his family. However, there is no pure land in this court. His humble background and the old cases involving him have long been targeted by all parties. The exclusion and strife in the Hanlin Academy, the undercurrents surging deep in the palace, the overt and covert struggles between aristocratic families and relatives, old cases and layers of fog followed one after another. He was forced to change from a scholar who hid from the world to a person with a pen and a blade. The road ahead is full of thorns, trust and betrayal are intertwined, conscience and power collide. Shen Yan must not only keep his heart and not become a slave of power, but also find a way out in the dangerous court. But he doesn't know that his father The unjust case back then was far more than just local corruption. Behind it, there were shocking secrets in the center of the capital. Every step he took was knocking on the door to the truth that had been hidden for many years, and he was also rewriting the power structure of the Great Yong Chaotang.
