Transmigrated into the body of an impoverished scholar at the end of the Song dynasty, Jiang Lan is framed from the start: a powerful noble’s son steals his exam paper and pins the capital crime of “cheating in the imperial examinations” on him. In prison, he awakens the ability to deduce the future, seeing through the political landscape, people’s hearts, and the destiny of the realm at a glance. From top scorer in the county exams to a name on the imperial pass list, his essays shake Lin’an. He exposes the corruption behind the examinations, takes on Jia Sidao, reforms the military, and clears and measures farmland. The powerful officials in court all want to use him as a stepping stone, but in the end they beg him to enter government and save their lives.
