The Tang dynasty stands at the height of its glory, gilded on the outside but rotten within. The regional military governors secretly amass troops, barbarian cavalry batter at the passes, and strife rages deep in the martial world. Li Yan, the son of a distinguished military family, is drawn into a deadly political conspiracy through a twist of fate. Only then does he realize that the turmoil of the world is merely a game of human nature played on a chessboard. When his ink brush cuts through the Portraits at Lingyan Pavilion, the golden goblets in the hall are suddenly stained crimson. In the end, the achievements of this world are destined to be rendered in paint and ink.
