The Wicked Scholar and His Little Farmer

In the Great Qian dynasty, factional strife rages during the Tianqi era. After Wei Wudao rises to power, the eunuch faction dominates the court, suppressing the Donglin faction. The government falls into chaos, and secret police run rampant. War in Liaodong intensifies, military pay goes unpaid, and border defenses crumble. The people suffer amid repeated disasters: drought and locust plagues ravage the northwest, refugees pour across the land, and rebellions begin to stir. In Jiangnan, business and trade come under pressure, the gap between rich and poor widens, and the dynasty's crisis becomes clear. The story of Li Mu, a scholar from Jingshan County, and Zheng Zhaozhao, a farmer's daughter, begins with a marriage contract and follows them as they support each other on their journey to power over all under heaven...