During the Xianqing period of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi's dizziness became increasingly severe, and Empress Wu gradually took charge of the government. The Ninth Prince Li Xuan, whose biological mother was a talented man who died young, was raised on the fringes of the cold palace since he was a child. He has a withdrawn personality and does not involve himself in party strife. He only likes to study and play chess. He is regarded by the princes as mediocre and incompetent.
A bizarre border emergency brought this "transparent prince" to the forefront. Undercurrents of Turks and Tibet are surging, the prince and Empress Wu are fighting openly and secretly in the court, and an old palace case from fifteen years ago quietly envelopes Chang'an like a shadow.
Li Xuan originally only wanted to be a wealthy and leisurely king, but he found that his birth, the death of his mother, and the turmoil of the court were all tightly entangled by an invisible thread. When the net of conspiracy was cast around his neck, the prince, who was underestimated by everyone, finally picked up the chess pieces from the chessboard.
"What you are fighting for is the dragon throne, what I am fighting for is to live."
