Emperor Xiao Jingheng saw Qinghe County Magistrate Xu Guichen submit a memorial stating that the county territory was impoverished and miserable. In his fury, he went in disguise to investigate personally, only to find that Qinghe's people's livelihood was orderly, its social ethos refreshed, and the memorials were entirely lies. Knowing full well that Xu Guichen was deliberately hiding his clumsiness to avoid entering the court as an official, Xiao Jingheng disguised himself as a merchant to stay in Qinghe, intending to expose his disguise and force out his true talent. A secret game of wits between the two quietly began.