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This book comprehensively chronologically records official history books, various regulations, archives, anthologies, chronologies, notes and other historical materials, and provides a detailed overview of the development of the criminal naming system in the Qing Dynasty. At the same time, the study of institutional history introduces the investigation of people and events, portraying the image of a technocratic bureaucrat of the Ministry of Justice with considerable professional qualities. Through the refutation of cases, it reproduces the multiple games between the Ministry of Justice and other central agencies and local officials in the intertwined situation of legal principles, human relations, and interests. By analyzing the pivotal role of the imperial power of the Qing Dynasty in the criminal naming system, the book reveals how the Qing dynasty improved the operational efficiency of the criminal naming system in order to maintain political and social stability under comprehensive institutionalization, thereby alleviating the crisis in the legitimacy of rule.

This book begins with the battle for the throne during the Kangxi period, and tells the thrilling history from the death of Emperor Kangxi in the 61st year of Kangxi to the suicide of Gengyao in the third year of Yongzheng. The book is divided into two clues. One trace revolves around the important political moves of Emperor Yongzheng, such as the establishment of the Prime Minister, the secret establishment of a crown prince, the pacification of the Luobuzangdanjin rebellion, etc. The other clue revolves around the evolution of the relationship between Nian Gengyao and Yongzheng's monarchs and ministers. It is based on historical facts and adds fictional imagination that suits the background of the times, from the struggle for the throne to the changes between kings and ministers.