The story takes place in the late Ming Dynasty. The specific time point is July of the forty-eighth year of Wanli (1620). After the death of Emperor Wanli of Ming Shenzong, the crown prince Zhu Changluo (the subsequent Ming Guangzong) was about to ascend the throne. At this time, the Ming Dynasty was intertwined with internal and external troubles. The Donglin Party and the Qichu and Zhejiang Party were fighting fiercely in the court, and the eunuch power was undercurrent; local land annexation was serious, and signs of peasant uprisings had emerged; on the border, the Houjin Dynasty (the predecessor of the Qing Dynasty) was becoming increasingly powerful under the leadership of Nurhachi, posing a serious threat to the Ming Dynasty's borders. The protagonist, Lin Yue, is a senior history enthusiast in modern times, especially obsessed with "Things of the Ming Dynasty". He has a deep understanding of the tragic fate of the "January Emperor" of Ming Guangzong, the political corruption and social crisis in the late Ming Dynasty.
