When the dynasty collapsed, the imperial power was crumbling like rotten wood. Shen Yanci, a minister of the Ministry of Rites who appears gentle on the surface, is actually an avenger who hides the flesh and blood of the former dynasty. Using the tip of his pen as a blade, he works every step of the way in the imperial examination fraud and the Salt and Iron Cases, weaving a web of public opinion subversion; Gu Chengyuan, the iron-blooded general in the north, holds an army of 300,000 black armors but is jealous of the emperor. He seems to be a rough warrior, but he raises troops in the frontier and plants the wolf-head military flag all over the desert smoke. The two formed an alliance because of their "life-saving grace". One stirred up troubles in the court in the name of "Qing Junzi", and the other used the power of "King Qin" to spread troops in the suburbs of the capital. However, what Shen Yanci wanted was to subvert the old tripod and sacrifice the common people with new blood, while Gu Chengyuan wanted to support the puppets and protect the autonomy of the northern border. Their differences over the "terminal point of rebellion" led them to confront each other with knives in the Jinluan Palace - but when the blade of the knife was pressed against his throat, they saw the same loneliness in the other's eyes as his own. "Between you and me, is it the blade and the scabbard, or is it a dead end against the opponent? When the emperor took poison, the dragon throne collapsed, and the ministers shouted "Long live", the two of them tacitly buried the real jade seal in the ruins. Shen Yan resigned from his dragon robe but embroidered the hidden pattern of a wolf's head, while Gu Chengyuan was in northern territory but sent a secret report to the capital. On the surface, the king and his ministers respected each other, but secretly they were each other's sharpest knife and most secure shield.
Purpose: In the chaos of a declining dynasty, the two male protagonists compete with each other in power to demonstrate the persistence and compromise of ideals and beliefs in the struggle for power, and explore the possibility of reshaping order and justice in troubled times.
