The Rogue Chief Minister: Even the Village Head's Yellow Dog Joined the Imperial Guard

[Farming and the Imperial Examinations] [Infrastructure Fanatic] [Lighthearted Comedy] [Shock and Awe] [Ensemble Cast's Rise]

In the Great Yong Dynasty, at Kaoshan Village, modern science prodigy Lu Jingming opens his eyes to find himself the frail youngest son of the farm family's third branch. The eldest branch bleeds them dry, Grandma plays favorites, and there's not even enough cornmeal porridge to fill his stomach. To survive, Lu Jingming uses modern realpolitik and his knowledge of science and mathematics to bluff and stir up trouble. Not only does he bring the eldest branch completely to heel, he also earns his first pot of gold by improving farm tools.

"All other pursuits are inferior; only study is held in high esteem." Faced with the brutal barriers of the feudal class system, Lu Jingming makes a solemn vow: he will pass the imperial examinations!

To pay for his studies, every man, woman, and child in Kaoshan Village sells everything they own, even the village's yellow dog gets a little less to eat. Lu Jingming doesn't let the villagers down, taking first place in all three levels of the examinations. But once he becomes a local official, his style takes a sharp turn. He doesn't write poetry or trade couplets. Instead, he builds cement roads and flush toilets, grows greenhouse watermelons, and uses hunger marketing, turning a poor county into an ancient version of Wall Street.

The Great Yong Emperor, Xiao Chengqian, visits incognito. Seeing the smooth asphalt roads and exorbitantly priced inns, he is utterly stunned and confused. "This is supposed to be a remote backwater? Is this county magistrate a scoundrel?"

From a poor farmer's son to the Grand Secretary, Lu Jingming uses science, mathematics, and business to crush the competition, completely overturning the ancients' understanding of the world and making good on his promise. By the time he holds power over the entire court, the villagers of Kaoshan are all dressed in gold and silver. Even the village dog that once saved food for him receives special permission to wear the embroidered fish uniform of the Imperial Guards!