I Told You to Be a Stand-In Vassal King, So Why Did You Carve Out Your Own Territory?

Xiao Ce, a retired armed police officer, transmigrates to the Great Yong dynasty and becomes a body double kept by Prince Jing, Xiao Jingyuan. As soon as he opens his eyes, he's expected to take the blame for the death of an imperial envoy's nephew, killed by the useless prince, and is cast aside as a scapegoat.

With no way out, he kills the real Prince Jing and assumes his identity, taking charge of Prince Jing's estate. As Imperial Envoy Zhang Shangde lays one trap after another and Qingzhou's powerful clans keep deploying dirty tricks, Xiao Ce uses his modern criminal investigation experience to expose forged evidence and confiscate the Gu family's hidden weapons and armor. He uses double-entry bookkeeping to reform the commercial tax, improves the beach-drying method to stabilize salt prices, trains private troops, repairs waterworks, and lowers land rents. In just a few months, he wins over Princess Consort Su Qingyuan and turns the rotten mess of Qingzhou into an impregnable stronghold.

But the Second Prince's campaign to strip the vassals of their power is already hanging over his head, and an imperial censor arrives bearing an edict. The greater storm has only just begun.