The Great Liao had enjoyed a century of peace and prosperity, and the land was flourishing.
In the capital, songs and dances filled the Zhu household's grand residence behind its vermilion gates and high walls. Along the riverways and underground routes, countless ships raced north day and night, carrying coal, grain, banknotes, and weapons. In the royal cuju stadium, two hundred thousand spectators gazed up at the Son of Heaven and his peaceful reign.
But beneath the skin of this golden age, everything had already rotted to the core.
Officials were taking their own lives one after another. Stolen silver vanished overseas. The West Factory's agents killed in the dead of night. The two factions of the Ming Cult battled in secret. The great merchants of Yingjun used trade and charity as a cover to funnel the empire's wealth abroad. Everyone thought the emperor was obsessed with ingenious devices and indifferent to court affairs, unaware that he had long been moving his pieces in the shadows. Everyone thought Chief Councilor Yeli held absolute power, unaware that a net was quietly tightening around the palace, the secret police, the imperial clan, the border armies, and the imperial consorts' selection.
- Yuwen Xuanxi: A disgraced West Factory official on the run, ruthless and suspicious, torn between forbidden love and conscience.
- Kaitong: The Great Liao's only prince, enfeoffed as Prince of Wei. He dreams of reform and gradually learns the art of power.
- Tan Youchang: A low-ranking official from a humble family, clever and patient. In his struggle to protect his family and survive, he is drawn deeper into political intrigue at every turn.
- Yuxin: The emperor of the Great Liao. Seemingly indolent, he secretly gathers spies and struggles with powerful ministers for control of the court.
- Chief Councilor Yeli: A man who holds the court in his grasp and has deeply entrenched his own faction. He commands the empire's political affairs, yet is also trapped in the struggle for power.
- Liu Yifei: A former courtesan, perceptive and bright. She uses tenderness and cunning to hold on to Prince Wei's favor.
- Hongjila Liuli: Prince Wei's principal consort, clever and capable. She seeks to make her mark while constrained by convention.
A golden age is a game of chess, and all living beings are its pieces.
But what if the pieces start devouring people?
Theme: Political intrigue and power struggles
