During the Qingli era of the Northern Song dynasty, a piece of “Myriad Forms Glazed Glass” fell from the sky over Bianjing. It could turn a person’s “aspirations” into reality: a merchant’s ambition to “trade with the world” could take shape as a seafaring ship, while an artisan’s devotion to “constant refinement” could forge a blade sharp enough to cut through iron.
The down-on-his-luck scholar Wu Changdao stumbles upon a shard of the glass and teams up with Tang Xingwan, an heir to the Mohist tradition. Using “aspiration-made artifacts” as their key, they start with a little shop selling “dyes that never fade” and set the Song dynasty’s business world in motion. Their “self-calculating abacus” astonishes the Three Financial Offices; their “wooden ship that travels a thousand li a day” opens up the Maritime Silk Road; and their “homesickness-curing wine” earns them gold and silver from the countries of the Western Regions. They go on to join forces with Arab merchants, Liao nobles, and the remnants of the Mohists to establish the “All-Nations Merchant Alliance,” spanning Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Behind their global business empire lies an “aspirations arms race” with Yuanhao of Western Xia, a debate with Fan Zhongyan over how commerce can serve the people, and the ultimate secret of how the glazed glass holds the balance of the Three Realms. When evil thoughts such as “greed” and “war” taint the glass, and mysterious “Thought-Eaters” seek to collect resentment along the trade routes and overturn heaven and earth, Wu Changdao and Tang Xingwan finally understand: a true imperial merchant doesn’t deal in money, but in the peace of mind of all the people.
This is a legendary business saga brought to life through fantastical inventions, and an epic tale of ordinary people who wield commerce as a blade and aspiration as armor, carving out a path to wealth beyond the reach of kings amid the tides of history.
