There was an undercurrent in the Great Yong Dynasty, and Shen Yanshu, a clerk from a poor family, entered the Department of Knowledge and Information with his gift of photographic memory, and peeped out layers of conspiracies from moldy files. She uses pen and ink as a blade to weave a web of information, but unexpectedly bumps into Xie Zhou, who controls water transportation - his merchant ship carries cargo, but also hides the secret thread that stirs up the storm.
One is trying to break people's hearts in the pile of old papers, and the other is playing tricks on the trade routes. When the secret case of salt led to the dark hand of the court, the two went from probing to joining forces, and uncovered the truth amidst the turmoil. Little did they know that a larger chess game had already entangled them. A battle between two powerful players, a battle of wits and scheming, this game of power is never just about winning or losing.
