Transmigrated into the son of South China's richest man in 1890, Lin Ran has everything: a vast fortune, powerful in-laws, and the glory of the vaunted "Celestial Empire," envied by all. But he knows it is all just a final dream before the thunderclap of the First Sino-Japanese War, four years away.
A stint in prison jolts him fully awake: this decaying dynasty is not worth saving. It can only be buried.
Under the pretext of studying medicine, he crosses the sea to Japan. On the surface, he is deferential; beneath it, he hides his sharp edge. In the lecture halls of Tokyo Imperial University, he befriends the sons of the powerful and secretly learns the way to victory. Under cover of Yokohama's night, he secretly purchases weapons and builds the strength for revolution. While his classmates still dream that "constitutional monarchy" can save the Qing, Lin Ran has already seen the truth: a sick dragon is not worth kneeling before.
His mission is to dig this dying empire's grave with his own hands, then build a new China upon its ruins.
Dig the empire's grave, enlighten the people, grant them rights, establish a republic, defeat Japan, stand against the great powers, and save China.
A soul returned from the future, and a thirty-year gamble. This time, he will not stand by and watch. He will be the gravedigger.
