With eunuchs dominating the court, the political landscape has fallen into corruption. Once close friends in youth, they now meet again as publicly acknowledged rivals on opposite sides of the court. Zhu Congrong was a great general with illustrious military achievements and a renowned reputation. The world knows only that he fights brilliantly, writes outrageously poor calligraphy, and frequents pleasure houses, yet no one has ever seen his true face beneath the mask. The real Zhu Congrong existed away from rumors.Gu Chengxie, the sharpest blade of the Commandery Inspectorate. His loyalties are ambiguous and his methods ruthless; having acknowledged a eunuch as his father, he endures constant scorn. Everyone assumes he is merely a hound raised by power, yet no one knows whom he truly serves.On the surface, they stand in fierce opposition, each step calculated against the other; in secret, however, through repeated confrontations, they are drawn closer together.