The Remaining Candles of the Celebration

During the Qingli period of the Northern Song Dynasty, the situation changed suddenly. The Xixia invaded the border, and the iron hooves clanked; the Liao State pressed on the border, and watched with eager eyes. Above the court, party strife was like a turbulent undercurrent, disturbing the foundation of the Song Dynasty. Shen Zhibai, derived from "Know the white and keep the black" in the Tao Te Ching, was originally a warm-blooded man from the border area of ​​Shaanxi. Because of his loyalty and bravery, he was selected into the Imperial City Division. He was determined to "loyalty to the emperor and serve the country", like a sharp blade, he wanted to cut through the thorns for his family and country. Stepping into Beijing, he was shocked to realize that everything was not as imagined. Fan Zhongyan implemented the "Qingli New Deal" and tried to eliminate the long-standing abuses, but was frantically strangled by the conservatives headed by Lu Yijian in the name of "party struggle." The Imperial City Department, which was supposed to be a place of loyalty to the emperor and protect the country, has actually become a tool for factional strife. There are also many mysterious forces secretly surging in the shadow of Bianjing City. The "Hidden Army" directly under the emperor, Fan Zhongyan's "Baicaotang", Lu Yijian's "Tingfengtang", as well as the "Anmensi" of the Liao Dynasty and the "Red Guard" of the Xixia Dynasty were like spiders weaving a web, trapping the entire Bianjing and even the people in the court into a huge intelligence net. Shen Zhibai was among them, witnessing the unfulfilled ambitions of the New Deal, witnessing the injustice and demotion of loyal ministers, and seeing clearly that the "king's heart" is as vast as the sea, and "serving the country" is just a pawn in the emperor's chess game. In the whirlpool of power, where should his blood go? Can he break through this fog and find his own "light"? A legend about ideals and betrayal begins under the roots of Bianjing Imperial City...