One Blow Wakes the Top Scholar (21 episodes)
Shen Yan, the prodigal son of Xingyuan Village, is struck on the head by a classmate and awakens with the gift of a photographic memory. He first clears a…
Shen Yan, the prodigal son of Xingyuan Village, is struck on the head by a classmate and awakens with the gift of a photographic memory. He first clears a ten-tael gambling debt, then sweeps top honors across the county, prefectural, and academy examinations consecutively. Presenting his water-diverting machine design before the golden throne, he is personally appointed the Top Scholar by the Emperor and assigned to the Imperial Academy of Science. From papermaking and salt boiling to dredging rivers and building ships, he slaps back against entrenched aristocrats and wins over former rivals, ultimately ascending to the Grand Secretariat as Prime Minister and transforming his destitute farming village into a city that never sleeps.