Born into a minor official's family in Jiangnan, Shen Shuyao was astonishingly gifted, yet as a woman, she had nowhere to put her learning to use.
When her cousin, a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, suddenly died, the Shen family teetered on the brink of ruin. She bound her hair, changed into men's robes, and went to the capital to sit the examinations under her cousin Shen Zhiwei's name. From then on, Shen Shuyao ceased to exist. There was only Shen Zhiwei, a Jiangnan candidate.
From a low-ranking secretary to one of the most powerful officials in the realm, she could calculate the empire's finances and solve century-old cases. For years in court, she crossed swords with a powerful minister born into a noble house. They were evenly matched and neither would yield.
She had never lost, until a political rival secretly investigated her past and put evidence of her identity into her opponent's hands.
The powerful minister held the evidence that could destroy her and studied it for a long time. Everyone thought he would use it to have her put to death. Instead, he asked just one question: "Minister Shen, have you decided your next move?"
This is the story of a woman who entered the imperial court disguised as a man, relying on no one but herself to carve out a path forward.
Theme: Talent is not diminished or enhanced by gender, and society should not impose limits based on gender. A woman's body can still serve the people and stand in the halls of government.
