The Humble Clerk of the Great Song: Righteous and Wicked, Shaping Destiny

Set in the late Northern Song Dynasty, this classical alternate history novel, also known as 'The Humble Clerk', focuses on the struggles and perseverance of low-ranking civil clerks, restoring the officialdom ecology and legal system of the Song Dynasty. The protagonist Chen Yan, born into a humble family, was originally a blue-robed clerk in the Chenliu County衙门. His father was framed by the powerful and corrupt officials while investigating the theft of tribute silver, dying with grievances, and his mother also died of grief and illness. After his family declined, Chen Yan endured for five years, lurking in the county office, mastering the Song Dynasty's legal codes such as the 'Song Criminal Code' and 'Tiansheng Decree', and becoming proficient in official documents. Outwardly humble and obedient, he harbored a desire for revenge and justice. In the late Northern Song, court factional struggles were fierce, local petty officials ran amok, and the powerful annexed land and evaded taxes through bribery. Chen Yan used law as his blade and wisdom as his edge, starting by sorting out old cases, investigating archives at night, uncovering corruption in post stations, and solving hidden land tax cases, gradually exposing local dark schemes. Without official rank, he held real power over criminal justice; without a seal, he dared to overturn high officials' signatures. With a single lawsuit, he triggered a joint trial by the Three Judicial Departments, using legal wisdom to combat the corrupt system of mutual protection among officials.