Set against the backdrop of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, this story imagines a dynasty called Later Yan. It follows Ji Dan, the son of a salt smuggler, as he rises from a merchant's son dismissed as a "mad boy" to the imperial throne. With his uncanny gift for prophecy, his family's staggering wealth, control of the vital salt and iron trade, and a series of seemingly absurd yet carefully calculated maneuvers, he rises amid the chaos and ultimately establishes a brief, frenzied empire. At its heart, the story explores power, destiny, and human nature at their most extreme, blending humor, absurdity, inspiration, and gravity.
