The Impostor Emperor: A Guide to Scamming the Great Ming Court

Shen Nanxing is the greatest swindler in the capital. With a silver tongue, he somehow talks the Imperial Guard into becoming his fanatical underlings.

He thinks he can pass himself off as an imperial envoy, pocket the money, and make a clean getaway. But as soon as he steps outside, he runs into the Hongzhi Emperor, Zhu Houzhao, traveling incognito!

Is he done for? Is he about to lose his head?

No! Zhu Houzhao stares at Shen Nanxing, who looks seventy percent like him, eyes shining. “Brother, you can borrow my throne for a few days. I’m going to the frontier to fight the Mongols!”

And so, the entire Ming court gets a complete change of tune with the arrival of a master-level con artist.

Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe remonstrates to the death every day? Shen Nanxing gives him a crash course in “the Ming workplace vision,” and the grand secretary gets so fired up he works overtime all night.

The eunuch Liu Jin wants to seize power? Shen Nanxing launches “Royal P2P Investments” and drains the chief eunuch’s entire fortune.

The Ministry of Revenue is broke? There’s an emergency dispatch from the frontier? Shen Nanxing waves his brush. “What are you panicking for? This is the Ming Dynasty’s grand maritime team-building plan!”

Years later, after finishing his campaign on the frontier, Zhu Houzhao rushes back to the capital. “Brother, I’m taking back my throne.”

But the civil and military officials cling desperately to Shen Nanxing’s leg and glare at Zhu Houzhao. “Your Majesty, this scoundrel dared impersonate you! Have him dragged out and executed!”

Zhu Houzhao: “?”