Great Ming: A World of Clarity

In the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, Shen Yan wakes from a raging fever to find himself a low-ranking clerk copying grain ledgers in Songjiang Prefecture. The books say “grain delivered,” but the porridge pots are empty. Following a discrepancy in the accounts, Shen Yan discovers that some people are borrowing grain to survive, while others are claiming it under someone else’s name. If he wants the people to have a bowl of porridge, he must first find out which granary the grain left, who transported it, and whose hands it ultimately reached. He knows what lies ahead for the Ming, but he has no imperial edict and no army under his command. Grain ledgers, shipping schedules, wages, household registers: he can only start with the small matters before him. And every time he sets an account right, a new question arises: Who has the right to audit the books? Who can correct a mistake? And who will keep in check the person who believes he is acting on the people’s behalf? From an empty pot in Jiangnan to the imperial court, the battlefield, schools, and distant ports, Shen Yan wants to build a world where everyone has a name and a chance to speak.