The story pivots around a rare treasure—a teapot set made of violet gold, which was given to Emperor Huizong of the Song dynasty as a tribute present from Western Liang Kingdom. However, it was stolen after General Gao Qiu took hold of the treasure in advance to admire its beauty. Despite being adapted from Water Margins, the story differs widely from the original in terms of plot development and characterization. Minor characters are much more fleshed out, such as the master thief Shi Qian, “Iron Buddha” Cui Dao-cheng, Yan-qing—the adopted son of the famous Hebei governor Lu Jun-yi.