In the reign of Emperor Taizong (627—649), which was called the Prosperity of Zhenguan, former clothing maker An is framed and imprisoned. When she was in danger, she entrusts her young daughter Liu Li to an old friend in the palace. Liu Li grows up in the palace and becomes a medical officer, responsible for epidemic prevention.

In the twenty-second year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign (1683 A.D.), in an attempt to stop Zheng's blatant attempts at independence in Taiwan, the Kangxi Emperor sent Shi Lang, the governor of the Fujian Naval Division, to lead an army to collect Taiwan. An advance team from the imperial court paid a terrible price to lure Zheng's navy into a trap. Shi Lang led a large naval force to attack Penghu in a surprise attack, wiping out the main force of Zheng's army and eventually unifying Taiwan.