Liu Shujin never imagined that the biggest obstacle in her life would be her father.
He got drunk and, just to brag, brought home the emperor's recruitment exam question from the competition list posted outside the city. Liu Shujin solved it, and not only that, she won the most votes from the people.
To keep her entire family from being executed, she had no choice but to disguise herself as a man and planned to coast along in that useless little post until retirement.
Then she met Jiang Yuming.
He had returned home after being held as a hostage, carrying dreams of revenge. He had planned to play the sinister, ruthless, beautiful-but-tragic type.
Unfortunately, he ran into Liu Shujin and her colleagues. This department made sure Jiang Yuming never had a good day. In less than a year, he went mad...
Liu Shujin: I still miss the Ninth Prince from when I first arrived.
Huo Zhixing: Why?
Liu Shujin: Because back then, he looked like he'd just come back from a stroll through a mass grave, but at least he didn't talk much. Now he can curse for two whole hours without repeating himself...
A scheming prince vs. a little nobody in disguise who just wants to coast until retirement
The story is more plot-focused, and the romance develops naturally.
The romance serves the plot, and the ending is happy.
Jiang Yuming keeps climbing the ranks, while Liu Shujin becomes his subordinate. Her easygoing job gets busier, and she is not too happy about it.
A scandal over subversive big-character posters, Lord Xu's death in a brothel, disaster relief crises, palace power struggles, the crown prince's secrets... A series of events binds them all together.
In the end, will Jiang Yuming get what he wants?
And where will Liu Shujin go from here?
Everyone's fate seems predetermined, but it isn't.
Theme: Everyone is born equal
