In the first year of Yongle, the Ming Dynasty, which had just experienced the "Battle of Jingnan", seemed majestic and stable, but in fact there were turbulent undercurrents. The lingering snow in Peiping (now designated as "Beijing") has not yet cleared up, and the power game in the court has quietly begun.
As a minister of Emperor Yongle Zhu Di, Hu Hu, a civil servant, had just concluded the case of Zhou Yong, the former Minister of Household Affairs, collaborating with the enemy. However, he had a disagreement with the iron-blooded emperor because of the issue of Zhou Yong's youngest son. He has a kind heart and tries to find a balance between law and imperial power, but he doesn't know that he has already been involved in a deeper whirlpool - he shoulders the important task of secretly searching for the whereabouts of Emperor Jianwen, and this secret is being coveted by Ji Gang, the commander of the Jinyiwei.
Ji Gang was ruthless and suspicious, and used the pretext of tracking down Zhou Yong's remaining members to eliminate dissidents. He even went south to Suzhou in person, targeting Shen Wansan, a wealthy businessman who was involved with Jianwen's old ministry. After Shen Wansan learned of the crisis, he hurriedly moved Jianwen's old belongings. Although he temporarily escaped the search, he knew that Ji Gang would never give up.
As Zhou Yong's case unfolds, clues from the capital and Jiangnan are intertwined. Hu Hui struggles to deal with the pressure of imperial authority and the pressure of discipline. Shen Wansan's escape in Jiangnan is full of dangers. The mystery of Jianwen's whereabouts, the fate of Jianwen's old ministers, and the hidden power rifts of the Yongle Dynasty are gradually revealed in this silent storm. The story revolves around court intrigues, factional struggles and personal struggles in the tide of the times, and outlines the chill and turmoil inside and outside the Forbidden City in the early years of Yongle.
