The story begins in the fourth year of Yuanfeng under Emperor Zhao of Han, 77 BC. King An Gui, also known as Chang Gui, of Loulan wavers between the Han and the Xiongnu, repeatedly ambushing Han envoys and cutting off the Silk Road. The Han envoy Fu Jiezi lures him with gold and precious treasures, then arranges for the king to be killed at a banquet. He immediately installs the king's younger brother, the Han-friendly Weituqi, as the new ruler, renames the kingdom Shanshan, and establishes farming settlements in Yixun City.
The deeper reason for King An Gui's wavering was that several powerful water-clan families at home, wealthy merchants who monopolized water sources, each urged him to side with either the Xiongnu or the Han in pursuit of their own interests, leaving state policy in disarray. The king's assassination was the Han Empire's stern warning to the water barons stirring up trouble behind the scenes. The old water barons were purged, creating an opportunity for Wang Jun, father of the heroine Wang Zhao, to build a business empire founded on water, using his expertise in water management and the new king's trust.
History has a way of repeating itself; under the sun, nothing is new. After Wang Jun made his fortune, a twist of fate led him to take Zhang Jianying as a second wife, and they had a daughter. His legitimate daughter, Wang Zhao, gradually grew up amid the cracks, and when Wang Jun retired, our heroine gradually took over the entire business empire, turning the tide and building a commercial kingdom of her own. Here you'll find cutthroat business rivalries, romance between men and women, and, beyond that, clashes of steel and political struggles between great powers. Following history's pulse, we arrive in the marginalized kingdom of Loulan to witness a compelling coming-of-age story. With mind-bending twists, strategies that turn weakness into strength against powerful foes, and face-slapping villains, this story is well worth a read.
