Li Yanqi, a poor student, questioned the rigid system of recruiting scholars because he failed the imperial examination seven times. In the second year of Chongning, he accidentally witnessed his mentor and classmates being involved in a major fraud case in the Bianjing imperial examination. After struggling between conscience and fear, he resolutely reported it to Bao Zheng of Kaifeng Prefecture. As a result, he was involved in a power struggle with the court, and he was also in danger of being expelled from his honor and exiled. From the fraud in the imperial examinations in Bianjing to the "secret secrets of the stone slab" in Hangzhou, from the power struggle in the court to the secret wars between local families, Mingli Academy is like a small boat, bumping forward in the torrent of the times and the ghosts of people's hearts. Li Yanqi and others adhere to the belief that "reading is not for fame, but for enlightenment." While protecting the academy and saving innocent people, they also gradually uncover a buried ancient history of Wu and Yue, and face the torture of human nature, morality, and the righteousness of the family and country.
