Cicadas Cry, Then Abandon Us

Tang Congxin transmigrates into the body of Tang Ye, the third son of Prince Ji, a discarded royal heir who has been imprisoned for more than a decade at Chanmingsi Temple in Fangzhou. His modern memories awaken when he is six, and he knows that he is nothing more than a sacrificial pawn, switched in by Prince Ji and his wife to protect their own son. He bides his time, studies diligently, and trains in martial arts and qi, all to carve out a slim chance of survival in this desperate situation. When the aging empress issues an edict summoning Prince Ji’s family back to the capital, a sudden upheaval strikes along the way: Tang Congxin is abducted by the Prince of Shuobei, who intends to rebel, and forced into the role of a puppet “Khan of the Northern Frontier.” Faced with the Prince of Shuobei’s blade and the court’s suspicions, Tang Congxin makes a shocking move: he secretly pledges his loyalty to the empress, becoming a hidden piece placed deep behind enemy lines. With political acumen beyond his era and his ability to foresee the course of history, he maneuvers among the tribes of Shuobei, weakening the rebel forces while building his own initial wealth and reputation. After enduring countless dangers and returning to the capital, the real battle has only just begun. At court, his birth parents see him as a stain to be removed, while the other princes and royal heirs view him as a sudden threat. Using modern management ideas and intelligence-gathering techniques, Tang Congxin foils one conspiracy after another and advances step by step. He not only wins the iron-fisted empress’s favor and is appointed crown prince’s heir in an unprecedented move, but also brings down the heartless Prince Ji and his wife with his own hands. In the end, he rises from a lowly grandson imprisoned in a temple to the pinnacle of power, determined to usher in a new era far greater than the height of the Tang Dynasty.