At six, the child secretly flips through memorials and stamps one “Approved.” The retired emperor smiles silently beside the dragon throne. At ten, he takes charge of the country, and his first act is to purge the parasites who draw salaries without doing their jobs, leaving the entire court of nobles trembling with fear!
The northern barbarians’ iron hooves smash through the fortress, and a poisoned arrow pierces the emperor’s chest. Amid the flames of war, young Jinglan ascends the throne, purges the traitorous generals who colluded with the enemy, establishes the Office of Supervision, forges star-patterned armor, and launches the imperial examinations for the ages to come. Yet the nobility cling like maggots, a dark tide erodes the shores, and poison drifts through the Grand Canal... The empire is seething with hidden currents!
The retired emperor secretly establishes the Pavilion of Hidden Mysteries, while his young grandson Zhao Rui quietly comes of age. He condemns extravagance, foils a marriage-alliance scheme built around beauty, and proposes five tea-and-horse markets to control border trade! When the barbarians return with a hundred thousand cavalry to seek revenge, he goes to the border himself. Earthfire and thunder shatter the enemy’s resolve; he burns their lairs and tears apart their tents! He also establishes public clinics, clearing the name of the wrongly accused Medicine King.
In the court, he cuts redundant officials, reforms the examinations, and settles labor unrest. Within the palace, the virtuous empress Liu Jingyi sets the inner court straight, while the talented Shen Zhiwei assists with medical affairs. Yet secret reports soon bring new threats: Persian poison horses, nobles burning caves, and the Dragon King of the Sea returning...
“The people’s hearts are like water: they can carry a boat, or overturn it!” The young emperor commands the world, forging armor with technology, bringing peace to the people through benevolent rule, and ruthlessly purging corruption. Witness the rise of the glorious Zhaoming era as three generations join hands through bloodshed and political intrigue!
