In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the southern line of the Cangling Ancient Road was the imperial road and the incense road connecting the capital and the royal temples (Yuntai Temple and Tanqing Temple). Along the route, the forces of the Xianghui, caravans, Jinyiwei, and border troops are intertwined. On the surface, it is a road filled with cigarettes, but underneath it is an undercurrent of the remaining forces continuing to smuggle weapons and collude with border officials after the fall of King Duan. Cheng Mouyun, the commander of the Jin Yiwei, lurks in Yuntai Temple to track down his father's "rebellion case" twenty years ago and the remnants of the Duanwang case; Lu Jian'an, an old man from the northern front, goes south to pursue the murderer. The two clues converge on the ancient road and ultimately point to the real mastermind in the court who has not yet surfaced.
