On the night of the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Li Chengdao, son of Li Jiancheng, crawls out of a mountain of corpses and escapes Chang’an.
Li Shimin is furious, and the Baiqi Corps pursues him for three thousand li. He flees west, crosses the desert, traverses the Congling Mountains, and eventually ends up in Tianzhu. A mysterious mark on his palm can summon Zhang Qian to guide the way, Bai Qi to command the troops, and Zhuge Liang to devise strategies, but every summoning comes at a price.
For twenty-five years, he builds a merchant network in Tianzhu and extends his intelligence reach into the Chang’an court, watching coldly as his enemies create the golden age of Zhenguan. The blade of revenge hangs poised, but he cannot bring it down. He is not sure whether killing a wise ruler would be another kind of sin.
Then Li Shimin dies. Li Chengdao sets his long-prepared plan to “Return to the Tang” in motion.
When the moon rises over Liangzhou, someone asks him, “Did you ever hate him?”
He answers, “I did.”
“And now?”
He falls silent. The wind passes over the scrolls, turning a page.
