581 CE: Yang Jian assumes the Tinmìng, the Mandate of Heaven, and ascends the jade stair of The Dragon Throne. His nation has been divided for over three centuries, and is beset by enemies from outside, and within. Warring nations, insidious plots, feints, deceptions, and power struggles between peasantry and social elites make the end of the Northern and Southern Dynasties one of the most chaotic periods in the history of China. With his loving wife, the Empress Dugu Qieluo, by his side will he have the strength to forge an empire between the four seas, or will he be trampled to dust to be washed away in the waters of the Huáng Hé?