Shen Yan, son of a condemned minister, transmigrates back with the burden of his clan’s slaughter weighing on him. Yet the stain on his identity keeps him from even entering the county office through the front gate. He abandons the path of public service and chooses the most perilous route: working behind the scenes. Through the grueling work of copying books, running errands, and keeping accounts, he traverses every street and alley in the county, learning the city’s every current. Drawing on his father’s old favors, he recruits Zhao Xiaoyi, a low-ranking clerk, as his utterly loyal proxy.
Without a name or standing, a post or power, he nevertheless advances one careful step at a time, laying secret plans in the mud and seizing opportunities through others when cornered. From a county office errand boy to the power behind the scenes, he will rely on his lone courage to overturn the old case, restore his family’s glory, and rise to the pinnacle of power!
