My gold-adorned belt is long put away; the truth of it all is nothing extraordinary. If the world wishes to know the guest of the humble garden, he is simply a scholar from Jiangnan.
Jiang Zhe, courtesy name Suiyun, was born into poverty. After ten years of hard study, he finally passed the imperial examinations and entered the Hanlin Academy. But by chance, Jiang Zhe became embroiled in the struggle over the heir to the throne of the Great Yong. Faced with schemes and intrigues, he had to match wits and strength against the many factions. He had hoped to escape the vortex sweeping through the entire court, but circumstances gave him no choice. With no alternative, Jiang Zhe went with the flow and threw himself into the political battles, using his wisdom to carve out a safe place for himself and those around him in this perilous world.