The Great Yong Dynasty has only just emerged from years of war with Northern Qian. The realm is united in name, but disasters plague the land, officials are corrupt, and the people are destitute. To learn the truth about life beyond the court, Emperor Xiao Chengyao secretly sets out on an unannounced inspection tour with his personal eunuch, Han Shou’en. Along the way, they pass through Qingwu County, an unremarkable place on the map.
Nestled among the mountains, Qingwu County was once poor and isolated. But after years under the stewardship of County Magistrate Shen Yanzhou, it has become an extraordinary county with well-kept roads, bustling streets, novel inns, a diverse range of industries, and prosperous residents. Within the county are unusual institutions such as state-run inns, state-run distilleries, tea-brick workshops, porcelain works, sanitation inspection teams, mediation offices, a document bureau, and an investment promotion office. They seem absurd and chaotic on the surface, but in reality they operate with remarkable efficiency.
The powerful people beyond the county have heard only of Qingwu’s fiery liquor, without knowing where it truly comes from. Even the imperial court has never realized that such a wealthy county lies within the very heart of the empire.
