The story centers on the Zheng family of Thirteenth Line in Guangdong. The Zheng family was originally engaged in normal Sino-British trade, and accumulated huge wealth during the prosperity of the late Qianlong period. The eldest son of the family, Zheng Wenhai, was a shrewd businessman and had close business dealings with the British East India Company.
In 1793, the Macartney delegation visited China, and this event became an important starting point for the story. Zheng Wenhai participated in the reception work as a representative of Thirteen Businessmen. He was keenly aware of England's ambitions towards China. However, as the English East India Company began to smuggle large quantities of opium into China, the temptation of huge profits gradually plunged Zheng Wenhai into the quagmire of the opium trade.
In 1839, Lin Zexu was appointed as the imperial envoy to Guangdong to ban smoking. This incident became an important turning point in the story. Lin Zexu's anti-smoking campaign touched the interests of opium merchants, including Zheng Wenhai, who tried every means to obstruct the ban. However, Lin Zexu was unmoved and eventually destroyed a large amount of opium in Humen.
The destruction of opium in Humen became the trigger for the Sino-British Opium War. In 1840, Britain launched the Opium War. The Qing government was defeated and forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing. The Zheng family suffered a heavy blow in this war: Zheng Wenhai's home was confiscated due to the opium trade, and Zheng Wentao died protecting the people during the war. The fate of the first generation characters changed drastically during this war. !
