Xia Ren travels through time into the Ming Dynasty, only to find himself there during the interval surrounding the Southern and Northern Examination Case. He initially plans to flee, but Zhu Yuanzhang nominates him as the court's third-place scholar. Despite being a complete fool, Xia Ren becomes one of Zhu Yuanzhang's favorites. He investigates a prince consort, befriends numerous imperial princes, and even becomes the son-in-law of the Duke of Wei's household. Just when he thinks he will become a new powerful figure in Jinling, Xia Ren unexpectedly becomes one of the ten clans implicated in Fang Xiaoru's execution.