Blade in Hand, Reflected in Mountains and Rivers

The Fourth Prince, Shao Qi, is framed for treason. Fleeing his pursuers, he stumbles into Yan Chixing's Langsui military camp.

Yan Chixing recognizes him. To avenge his older sister, an imperial consort who died suddenly in the palace, he chooses Shao Qi as his candidate for the next emperor and secretly plots to help him seize the throne.

To keep Shao Qi's identity hidden, Yan Chixing forces him to dress as a woman, telling everyone that he is his concubine. One day, he might even become the wife of a third-rank General of the Garrison.

Shao Qi is furious about this, but as a dependent living under Yan Chixing's roof, he has no choice but to put up with Yan Chixing calling him his wife.

In the far west, Yan Chixing takes Shao Qi drinking, to see operas, and to visit brothels, introducing him to local customs utterly different from those of the prosperous capital. He also teaches him how to govern the frontier.

Shao Qi successfully ascends the throne, and Yan Chixing conquers the Quanqiang lands and presents them to him as a congratulatory gift.

At the year-end court evaluations, Shao Qi specifically orders Yan Chixing to return to the capital.

But this time, Yan Chixing is walking straight into a trap.

He can only mock himself: in the end, he raised a tiger that turned on him.

Theme: Loyalty to the emperor and love of country