Features a one-sided crush from a male character, a pure career-focused plot, no romance, a refined and charismatic male lead adored by everyone, and the imperial examinations.
Before he turned twelve, he was the finest moonlight in Jiangnan, his sleeves filled with the air of books, his steps scattering the fragrance of crabapple blossoms across the courtyard.
Then the great house came crashing down. His loyal family was thrown into prison, and he fell from the clouds into the mire. From that day on, no one ever saw that true moonlight again.
At twenty, he places first in all three imperial examinations, dazzling everyone at the palace banquet. He is the gentlest jade in the eyes of the powerful, the sharpest blade in the emperor's heart, and the lone minister whom the entire court both respects and fears. No one knows that the smiling eyes he always wears have never reflected anyone's face.
At court, factions scheme against each other. War fires rage along the borders, and the national treasury is empty. The empire his predecessor left behind is riddled with wounds. He proceeds cautiously, wielding a civil official's authority to carry out thunderous deeds. While purging corruption, he implements new policies and drags a dying dynasty back from the brink.
Some blame him for having no sense of romance.
He smiles as he writes: “With the realm hanging by a thread, how could there be room for romance?”
The Outcast, second only to the emperor and above all others, stands alone to prop up the crumbling realm and keep the nine provinces from falling.
