In the State of Jin, the thirty-sixth year of Emperor Yan's reign, the entire Xin family was falsely accused and executed. Empress Xin Zijing hanged herself, and Crown Prince Xiao Wenyu was imprisoned in the Eastern Palace. Thus began the struggle among the four princes for the throne: the eldest prince, Xiao Wenjing; the second prince, Xiao Wenyun; the third prince, Xiao Wenyu; and the fifth prince, Xiao Wenjing. In the end, the eldest prince died suddenly, the second prince was exiled to Loushan, and the crown prince hanged himself. In the forty-second year of Emperor Yan's reign, the emperor died, and the fifth prince inherited the throne, taking the title Emperor Jing. After six years, the struggle among the four princes came to an end.
The young prince Xiao Wenyan, Emperor Jing's full brother, was too young to take part in the succession struggle. After Emperor Jing ascended the throne, he granted Xiao Wenyan the fiefdom of Xihe Commandery in Jibei, naming him Prince of Jibei and placing him in command of 200,000 Jibei troops. Prince Jing, Xiao Wenyan, could not enter the capital without a summons, and the Jibei army could not leave Xihe Commandery except in a war for the nation.
Before Crown Prince Xiao Wenyu lost power, he dismissed the Eastern Palace staff and cast off the crown princess. But the world did not know that he had dismissed only the forces visible to the public. His true power was hidden across the various states, waiting for the young master to grow up so they could help him purge traitors and clear the Xin family, his maternal grandfather's family, of all charges...
