The Frost Strategy

In the fictional Dazhao dynasty, the Grand Secretariat's power grows, with civil officials forming cliques to counter imperial authority. Emperor Lu Jin is constrained by court regulations, and the conflict between monarch and prime minister simmers. Shen Qingci, a scholar from a humble background, enters the Grand Secretariat through talent, caught between the emperor and the senior ministers. The ministers collude to control finances and personnel, hampering imperial power; the emperor secretly schemes to reclaim authority, leading to constant power struggles. Shen Qingci refuses to be a pawn for the emperor or collude with the aristocratic ministers, instead navigating between the two forces with careful strategy. Crises like the canal corruption case, exam fraud, and border grain supply erupt, bringing the conflict between imperial power and the Grand Secretariat into the open. Without any lucky breaks, only cautious court calculations. Shen Qingci walks the chessboard of imperial power, ministerial factions, and local aristocrats, seeking a way to balance the court and maintain integrity amidst endless power struggles.