This drama tells the story of Jiajing and Hai Rui. In the 39th year of Jiajing, corruption was rampant and people were living in poverty. The treacherous minister Yan Song (played by Ni Dahong) had many followers and was powerful in the court. The honest official Hai Rui (played by Huang Zhizhong) was not afraid of power and dared to challenge the corrupt feudal imperial power. Emperor Zhu Houcong (played by Chen Baoguo) practiced Taoism for 20 years and always controlled the military, political and economic power of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, China's economy was developed and the market culture was prosperous, but the contradictions among all social classes were prominent. The large-scale land annexation implemented by the state caused millions of farmers to lose the land they depended on for survival overnight. Yan Song's autocracy caused dissatisfaction among local officials at all levels, and the voice of "overthrowing Yan" was rampant. From top to bottom, from inside to outside, from the court to local government offices, it was full of intrigues and intrigues. Loyal ministers and generals and traitors all boarded the historical stage at that time...