Li Lei, a modern university student, buys an ancient jade pendant at a street stall. It turns out to be a dragon-shaped pendant that Li Chengqian always carried. Li Lei accidentally activates its Dragonblood Space with a drop of blood. In the Tang dynasty, Crown Prince Li Chengqian angrily smashes a teacup and activates the pendant. The two, separated by a thousand years, meet within the space and become confidants. Using his foreknowledge and the advantages of the future, Li Lei helps Li Chengqian secure his position as Crown Prince, unite his brothers, and recruit young civil and military talent. He vigorously develops the economy, takes in refugees, gradually weakens the influence of the aristocratic clans, and makes active preparations against external threats such as the Turks and Tibetans. When Li Shimin abdicates, Li Chengqian will finally show the world what he is made of.
“Since the Sui dynasty forcibly imposed labor, the people have suffered beyond endurance, and men of ambition across the realm have risen in revolt. There have been so many heroes in this land, yet in the end it fell into the hands of our Li family of Tang. Grandfather founded the Tang dynasty. Even now, Father is an emperor who won his throne on horseback. It can be said that the Tang’s vast territory today is all thanks to Father. My uncles, such as my maternal uncle Changsun Wuji, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, Qin Qiong, Li Jing, and Zhang Liang, have followed you in defending the country and expanding its borders. I do not speak these words lightly, nor am I criticizing anyone. I admire them greatly, and I will never forget what they have done for the Tang dynasty.”
“What I want to say is that I am grateful to Grandfather and Father for everything they have done for me. As Father’s son, I do not want to waste my life doing nothing. At the very least, a son of the Li family should never think himself inferior. A true man, born between heaven and earth, should live a remarkable life, or else why come into this world at all? I want the world to hear a voice that belongs to me, Li Chengqian, and to me alone.”
