The Vendetta of An (长安二十四计)

Set during the fictional "Wencheng Era", the series follows Xie Huai'an (played by Cheng Yi), the son of Liu Ziwen, the founder of the Tiger Guard (Hu Ben), who witnessed his entire family—including 120 clan members—brutally massacred fifteen years ago after his father was betrayed by General Yan Fengshan (played by Zhang Hanyu). Now operating under a new identity as a low-ranking county registrar in Huainan, Xie Huai'an has spent a decade and a half meticulously planning his revenge.

When the new emperor Xiao Wuyang (played by Liu Yijun) summons him to the capital to eliminate the corrupt Tiger Guard forces entrenched in Chang'an, Xie Huai'an sees his long-awaited opportunity. But beneath the emperor's command lies a far greater crisis: General Yan Fengshan, unwilling to relinquish power, is secretly preparing to split the empire and declare himself king, using a hidden military lane known as the "Army-Hiding Alley" as his covert base.

Assembling an unlikely alliance—including the loyal general Gu Yu (played by Ye Zuxin), the skilled swordsman Ye Zheng (played by Tong Mengshi), the painter Bai Wan (played by Xu Lu), and the young scholar Xie Ziling —Xie Huai'an wages an elaborate battle of wits against Yan Fengshan's forces. Each step forward brings him closer to his revenge but also forces him to confront the deeper truth: that his father founded the Tiger Guard not for power, but to protect the realm.

As the conspiracy unravels, Xie Huai'an faces impossible choices—between vengeance and justice, between the dead and the living—in a final confrontation that will determine the fate of all Chang'an.

The 28-episode series follows Xie Huai'an's journey from a fugitive seeking revenge to a guardian of justice. The plot is consistently intense, packed with numerous plot twists—the story is so intricately woven with strategies, betrayals, and hidden identities that viewers may find themselves questioning every character's true intentions.

Arc 1: Return to Chang'an — The Hunt for the Fugitive Emperor (Episodes 1–8)

Synopsis The series opens in the fourth year of the Wencheng era. After overthrowing the corrupt general Yan Fengshan, the new emperor Xiao Wuyang discovers that the deposed young emperor Xiao Wenjing did not die in the palace fire as reported—the burned corpse was not him. Realizing that Yan Fengshan may have escaped with the fugitive emperor to reclaim power, Xiao Wuyang summons Xie Huai'an, a minor county registrar from Huainan, to Chang'an. But Xie Huai'an is no ordinary official. Fifteen years ago, his family was slaughtered by Yan Fengshan, and he has spent the intervening years as the lone survivor, patiently waiting for his moment. Now armed with a secret imperial edict, Xie Huai'an returns to the capital with one goal: to find both Yan Fengshan and the fugitive emperor, and to exact the vengeance he has been planning for a decade and a half. Key Story Beats

• Episode 1: At his farewell banquet, Xie Huai'an reveals his true identity as the sole survivor of the massacre to County Magistrate Zhou Mo. However, he has already deduced that Zhou Mo is actually a spy embedded by the Tiger Guard. If Xie Huai'an arrives safely in Chang'an, Zhou Mo will be held accountable for dereliction of duty. To protect his friend, Xie Huai'an stages his own death—ensuring Zhou Mo's freedom from the Tiger Guard's control while also making his own way to the capital.
• Episode 2: Arriving in Chang'an on a snowy night, Xie Huai'an witnesses an elderly minister recite a poem of defiance before leaping to his death from a tower. When the young painter Bai Wan risks her safety to collect the body, Xie Huai'an intervenes to protect her. He then passes the emperor's test of wit and insight, formally accepting the mission to locate both Yan Fengshan and the deposed emperor. Returning to his abandoned family estate, he enters a secret chamber where swordsman Ye Zheng and the fugitive emperor Xiao Wenjing are already waiting.
• Episodes 3–4: Xie Huai'an convinces Xiao Wenjing that only he can guarantee his survival, and the deposed emperor submits to his terms. Visiting his father's old ally Zhu Zhilong, Xie Huai'an secures an indistinguishable disguise mask for Xiao Wenjing, who must now live as the bookboy "A Mo".
• Episodes 5–8: Xie Huai'an begins to orchestrate his first calculated moves against the Tiger Guard, eliminating key middle-level commanders and steadily cutting off Yan Fengshan's operational channels. Meanwhile, he learns that Liu Ziyan, a Tiger Guard assassin, has been serving a mysterious prisoner in a hidden fortress beneath Yulong Ridge—a clue that may point to Yan Fengshan's true whereabouts.

Arc 2: War of Wits — The Fight for the Tiger Guard (Episodes 9–18)

Synopsis Having successfully entered Chang'an and begun his mission, Xie Huai'an now faces the real challenge: dismantling the Tiger Guard from within. But these are not ordinary adversaries. Yan Fengshan has entrenched the Tiger Guard across the capital, using a secret "Army-Hiding Alley" as their covert stronghold. Emperor Xiao Wuyang—a man who trusts no one and above all fears losing control of the military—watches Xie Huai'an's every move. And behind the scenes, another dangerous figure known as Wu Zhongheng (played by Wang Jinsong) lurks. Unlike Yan Fengshan, who openly rebels, Wu Zhongheng quietly orchestrates his own power play from the shadows, making him an even greater threat. Xie Huai'an must fight on multiple fronts: against the Tiger Guard's assassins, against the emperor's suspicion, and against conspiracies hidden in plain sight. Key Story Beats

• Xie Huai'an assembles his alliance: General Gu Yu, a wounded yet formidable warrior who still can ride and shoot despite his injuries; swordsman Ye Zheng, fiercely loyal and willing to die for Xie Huai'an; painter Bai Wan, whose artistic eye proves invaluable in uncovering hidden clues; and scholar Xie Ziling, who infiltrates the Tiger Guard's ranks to gather intelligence from within.
• Xie Huai'an uncovers the existence of the "Army-Hiding Alley" —a camouflaged military lane within Chang'an where Yan Fengshan conceals his remaining forces. Destroying it becomes the key to cutting off the general's ability to regroup.
• Deep divisions within the Tiger Guard become evident. Xie Huai'an masterfully exploits these internal rifts, turning allies into informants and setting members against one another.
• Xie Huai'an's moral complexity emerges. He learns that his father Liu Ziwen created the Tiger Guard not as a tool for power, but as a force to protect the realm. This revelation deepens his understanding of what true justice means—his revenge becomes not about destruction but about restoring the righteous purpose his father envisioned.

Arc 3: The Final Confrontation — Vengeance and Redemption (Episodes 19–28)

Synopsis With the Army-Hiding Alley destroyed and Yan Fengshan cornered, the final arc accelerates toward its explosive conclusion. But Yan Fengshan's surrender does not mean safety for Xie Huai'an. The deposed emperor Xiao Wenjing, now changed and emboldened, begins plotting to reclaim the throne. Wu Zhongheng's hidden ambitions finally come to light. And perhaps most devastating of all, the mysterious prisoner in Yulong Ridge is revealed—a figure whose identity threatens to upend everything Xie Huai'an thought he knew about his family's past. As Xie Huai'an races to outmaneuver all his remaining enemies, he is forced to confront the most difficult question of all: after fifteen years of planning every step, can he truly control the ending—or will there be one final price he never accounted for? Key Story Beats

• The identity of the Yulong Ridge prisoner is finally revealed. The truth about the elder generation's past forces Xie Huai'an to re-evaluate his understanding of his family and his mission.
• Yan Fengshan is confronted in a final reckoning. After fifteen years of waiting, Xie Huai'an faces his father's betrayer—but vengeance proves to be more complex than he ever imagined.
• The Scholar's Sacrifice: Han Ziling, the scholar who infiltrated the Tiger Guard, gives his life to save Xie Huai'an, marking one of the series' most devastating emotional beats.
• Emperor Xiao Wuyang's paranoia reaches its peak. Having seen how easily a strategist like Xie Huai'an can dismantle the Tiger Guard, the emperor turns cold—reminding Xie Huai'an that in this world, no one is safe from a ruler who trusts only himself.
• In a twist that redefines the entire narrative, Xie Huai'an ensures that everyone he planned to confront meets the ending he designed—except for himself. Having made no contingency for his own survival, he walks into the final battle fully prepared to sacrifice himself. Yet in a stunning reversal, the unexpected happens, and the ending confronts him with a fate he had never imagined.
• The series resolves with Chang'an restored to order, the Tiger Guard finally dismantled, and Xie Huai'an's transformation from fugitive seeking revenge to true guardian of justice complete.