The Greatest Corrupt Official of the Great Song DynastyThe Greatest Corrupt Official of the Great Song Dynasty

"At dawn, a farmer buried in toil! At dusk, ascending the sovereign’s gilded hall!"

Here, you shall play the greatest corrupt official of the Great Song! Embezzle gold, seize land, siphon taxes—take everything! Grab it all! Become the most infamous corrupt official of the Great Song!!

You may even steal the throne! Seize the whole realm!!

When Qin lost its stag, all under heaven chase it!

A thousand li of rivers and mountains! Ten thousand li of land!!

This splendid realm, all rests in my hands!!

Of course, besides walking the path of a corrupt official, you may choose another road…

In the seventh year of the Yuanfeng reign, Emperor Shenzong lacked virtue and competence, his judgments wavering constantly. Coupled with growing friction between the two political factions, the imperial court teetered on the brink of collapse. The entire Great Song Dynasty hung precariously in the balance.

The radical faction led by Wang Anshi and the conservative faction represented by Sima Guang clashed fiercely in the imperial court, locked in bitter confrontation. Tensions between the two parties escalated sharply, ultimately sparking the second "Disaster of Party Persecution".

Zhao Jiu was a minor official in a remote frontier region. His father had committed a grave offense that enraged Emperor Shenzong and was stripped of his office. Though spared due to his low rank, Zhao Jiu was exiled to this desolate outpost.

Yet no one could have foreseen this—

It was here that Zhao Jiu would embark on his legendary life, saving the people of the realm from disaster and propping up the tottering empire……

The game is divided into nine volumes, or nine chapters——

Volume：

I: The Wind Rises at the Edge of Duckweed Volume

II: I Turn My Heart to the Bright Moon Volume

III: Viewing All Chang’an’s Blossoms in a Single Day Volume

IV: East Wind Unfurls a Thousand-Tree Bloom of Fireworks Volume

V: The Bright Moon Shines over the Twenty-Four Bridges Volume

VI: When Did I Ever Cast Eyes on Lords and Nobles? Volume

VII: Holding the Southeast, Battle Rages Still Volume

VIII: Having Trained the Body to Resemble a Crane’s Form Volume

IX: How Many Events Shape the Rise and Fall of the World

Each volume and chapter boasts distinct features, characters and narrative arcs. Players can shape unique gameplay experiences through their choices, gradually feeling the characters’ emotions, struggles and obsessions as they play. No decision is merely a matter of right or wrong. A single thought of yours may save one life, shift the tides of a region, or alter the hidden bonds between characters.

You will witness their joys and sorrows firsthand, uncovering untold secrets buried beneath the tide of the era. Some choices only subtly shift dialogue paths, while pivotal decisions plant foreshadowing that stretches across multiple volumes, whose repercussions emerge long afterward. There is no truly perfect route; every branch tells a story that belongs only to you.

As chapters unfold, characters grow beyond mere portraits and lines on a screen. Their attitudes shift with your choices. Trust, estrangement, resentment or affection take root through repeated interactions. You may choose empathy and understanding, or cold calculation. Navigate among competing factions from your own stance, and piece together the full truth with your own hands.

When the final fate is sealed, you will reflect on every gain and loss along the journey, all the ups and downs. Look back on encounters and partings, tangled love and hatred, and every joy and sorrow wrought by your decisions. Taste the joys and griefs of these vivid souls, and the mortal bustle of ordinary lives. In the end, you will savour the game and find emotional resonance with its characters……

"His frame refined like a crane, beneath a thousand pines lie two scrolls of scripture."

"I come to seek the Dao, no more words need be spoken; clouds drift in the blue sky, water rests within the vase."

"All are loyal ministers! There are no treacherous courtiers!"

"Matters of the household, the state, and all under heaven — I dare not remain ignorant of them!"

"Zhao Jiu! You’ve eaten my osmanthus cakes again!"

"Zhao Jiu! I’ll never speak to you again!"

"Zhao Jiu… will you stay with me forever from now on?"

"The Two Councils and Twenty-Three Circuits of the Great Song rest upon my shoulders, not yours, Sima Guang!"

"Keep meddling! Keep meddling! Go on and meddle! Meddle until the people of the Great Song suffer in destitution! Meddle until common folk cannot pay their taxes! Meddle until the whole Great Song descends into chaos! Then you will be content! Then you will be satisfied!"

"You are stubborn and self-opinionated! You will surely be harmed by villains in days to come! Flatterers will grow into a grave peril!"

"Gentlemen find it hard to gain office yet easy to withdraw; villains find it easy to gain office yet hard to withdraw."

"What of this Great Song? How many shall claim the throne, how many shall rise as overlords?"

"What shall become of our Great Song realm in the days to come?"

Adrift in the treacherous officialdom of the Northern Song, the world brands you a greedy corrupt official. Holding local authority, you navigate the narrow gap between personal bonds, gain and law.

Bribes, backdoor requests and factional strife — all manner of interests lie before you. Every signature and every meeting conceals peril. There are no purely virtuous men, nor utter villains. Everyone in the court harbors private motives, plotting for their own careers and clans.

Every choice you make shifts the stance of competing forces. Accepting gifts may win you allies, yet plant seeds for future impeachment. Upholding principles leaves you in hardship; expectations from your kin and ostracism from peers will follow.

Will you build a vast factional web, shielding yourself with power? Or amass wealth for survival, maneuvering between rival cliques to preserve your life? No path ahead is safe; one misstep and you fall into an abyss.

Dozens of distinct characters cross your path in this tale: upright ministers bent on saving the realm, ambitious peers waiting to seize power, scheming local gentry, and close companions whose fates are bound to yours.

Multiple intertwined story branches lead to vastly different endings. You may scheme your way upward, wielding great regional power with wealth and followers atop the Song official hierarchy. Or you may be worn down by endless infighting, barely surviving to a plain conclusion.

Full comprehension of the story requires multiple playthroughs. A single journey cannot uncover every hidden secret. Many characters’ pasts and secret deals behind the court can only be unlocked by different approaches on alternate routes. Repeatedly test different choices, expose every player’s hand in this political game, and find your own path.

In the end, drifting through Song officialdom, will you become a reviled corrupt official? Taking bribes and forming cliques, weighing profit and ruin with every decision? Or amid court conflict and personal ties, will your choices do more than accumulate wealth, deciding the life and death of factions?

There exists no absolute righteous path, nor eternal patron. Every step on this greedy road holds danger. Multiple branching routes deliver entirely different fates. Unlock all character arcs and endings across runs. Will you dominate the court? Or fall to ruin and disgrace!!

Musical scores bring to life court pleasantries and the myriad faces of humanity!

Original Chinese-style soundtrack weaves strings with ancient instruments, shifting between opulent luxury and tense gravity.

Carefully crafted ambient sounds for council debates, market whispers, and rainy-night plots build the treacherous atmosphere of Song officialdom, immersing you in every struggle for power and gain.

Guofeng hand-painted impasto character portraits, along with a wealth of exclusive story CGs that capture iconic scenes such as banquets, secret talks, and court confrontations!

Original artworks of Song-era settings, recreating the streets of Bianliang and the courtyards of government offices! A custom ink-wash, black-and-gold UI style that blends seamlessly with the tone of political intrigue! Delicate depictions of characters’ expressions, fully revealing the ambition, disguise, and selfish motives of all in the official world.

The First Corrupt Official of the Great Song is independently developed by Apocalypse Studio! We are a creative team passionate about Song Dynasty history and political intrigue narratives. From the initial story concept to script refinement, art creation, audio production and programming development, the project has undergone prolonged iterations to build a Great Song officialdom world full of strategic contests.

Gratitude to all artists, voice actors, musicians, testers and collaborative partners. It is your recognition and dedication to this story that brings this tale of vicissitudes in the Song bureaucracy to life. Thanks also to every player willing to step into this perilous chess game. May you be enchanted by power and wealth within this story, yet also behold the bottomless abyss...

Production Team: Apocalypse Studio

Producer: Apocalypse Studio

Script: Apocalypse Studio

Art Team: Apocalypse Studio

Programming Team: Apocalypse Studio

Configuration & Performance: Apocalypse Studio

Testing: Apocalypse Studio

Text Proofreading: Apocalypse Studio

UI: Apocalypse Studio

Soundtrack: Apocalypse Studio

Domestic Publisher: Apocalypse Games

Overseas Publisher: Apocalypse Games

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