A man fakes being a foreigner to infiltrate the imperial court and save his father. He gets caught immediately by someone whose entire job is knowing him better than he knows himself. What follows is two people weaponizing their brains against each other, every conversation a trap, every alliance a calculated risk, the comedy landing hardest when both of them are one step ahead and three steps behind at the same time.

An influential dissident named Zuo Yun Qi slips into the imperial court posing as a foreigner so he can save his father. The court recruits foreigners and gives them posts suited to their talents, hoping to reform an outdated civilization. The landlord, who is skilled at telling real foreigners apart, exposes him. Their clash turns into a string of battles of wits and fists, some of them comic, until the two agree to work together. After they stop a conspiracy, they learn that another foreigner has quietly formed an alliance to topple the ruling power and build a new, free-for-all society, and Zuo Yun Qi and his companions are pushed into action. The series mixes action, comedy and fantasy.