During the Daye period of the Sui Dynasty, the empire was prosperous on the surface, but in fact its finances, corvee labor, frontiers, clans, military merit system, and local governance were stretched to the limit. The Grand Canal, the Eastern Capital of Luoyang, the Liao Conquest Project, and the patrol system all formed a grand imperial machine, which also continuously consumed people's power and political trust.
The protagonist Yang Jian is not a commoner who came into troubled times out of thin air, but a prince who stands at the center of imperial power. This means that he has resources and shackles:
He has a clan title, a prince's family, access to the imperial army, and connections in the Eastern Capital.
At the same time, he was jealous of Yang Guang, scrutinized by courtiers, and suppressed by the status of Prince Yang Zhao's former ministers and Yang Zhao's disciples.
Every move he makes may be interpreted as "seizing the right to inherit the throne" or "treason."
