Centered on the interactions between a time traveler and the royal family of the Ming Dynasty, the story follows the time traveler as he unexpectedly encounters Zhu Biao in prison. He offers Zhu Biao guidance through the principles that the Yellow Springs should not be confined to the countryside, that one should come from the common people and return to the common people, and that rulers should remain connected to the people. He also sees through Zhu Biao's disguise as Zhu Di and even asks to wear the imperial dragon robe for fun, offering seeds capable of yielding a thousand jin of grain per mu in exchange. Family conversations run alongside the main plot, including children asking their father why he did not report his own rebellion to the authorities, father and son bickering over the concealment of a concubine, and arrangements to find eligible young women from meritorious noble families. Together, these episodes portray interpersonal clashes and political intrigue in an ancient setting.