Tang Dynasty Science: A Prince Starts by Trying to Stay Alive

In the final years of Emperor Gaozong's reign, the two sovereigns ruled from court together. Empress Wu's power was at its height, currents of intrigue stirred beneath the court's surface, and Confucianism, Mohism, Buddhism, and Daoism clashed in debate.

A modern man trained in science and engineering transmigrates into the doomed Prince Yong, Li Xian, who is destined to be sentenced to death in Bazhou. Burdened with a death sentence and given no golden finger, he relies solely on modern empirical thinking and practical Mohist learning to survive against all odds.

He turns the Prince Yong's residence into a workshop, rejects empty talk, values the study of things, and promotes industry. Amid political intrigue, the warmth and coldness of human relationships, and the hidden currents of sects, he patiently lays his plans.

Using craftsmanship to break out of a dead end and Mohist principles to outmaneuver the court, he transforms from a prince merely trying to stay alive, step by step, until he defies fate, changes his destiny, and ushers in a new golden age of practical industry for the Tang dynasty.