Phoenix Veil, Frosted Splendor: The Regent and the Eldest Princess tells a heartfelt, turbulent love story set in the palace, where the struggles of political intrigue, duty, and love intertwine.
- Young love and a twist of fate: The story begins twelve years ago, before the late emperor ascended the throne. Zhao Huazheng, the eldest princess, was then an orphan being raised in a general's household, while Xiao Jue was a young general guarding the frontier. They spent carefree days together on the grasslands, and Xiao Jue promised to marry Zhao Huazheng once he had achieved success. But fate had other plans. After the late emperor took the throne, Zhao Huazheng was brought back to the palace and made an eldest princess, while Xiao Jue rose through military achievements to become a regent with immense power. Their promise gradually fell by the wayside amid the gulf between their stations and the tangled affairs of court.
- A visit to the imperial tombs and a broken heart: In the twenty-seventh year of Tianqi, on the anniversary of the late emperor's death, Zhao Huazheng eagerly hoped Xiao Jue would respond to her feelings as they paid their respects at the imperial tombs. But Xiao Jue refused to discuss his old promise, saying that a ruler and a subject must keep their distance. Zhao Huazheng was heartbroken. Back at the palace, she fell ill, unable to let go of her anguish and having caught a chill. Xiao Jue kept watch over her all night, but when the idea of choosing a husband for her came up, he chose to compromise for the sake of protecting her. He agreed to the empress dowager's choice of Su Wenxuan, the newly crowned top scholar, as Zhao Huazheng's husband, hurting her even more.
- Disaster relief in Jiangnan, sharing hardship: Just as Zhao Huazheng had given up hope over her marriage, a flood struck Jiangnan, and officials who embezzled relief funds made the disaster even worse. Zhao Huazheng volunteered to go to Jiangnan to provide relief, and Xiao Jue, worried about her, went with her. Along the way, they saw the people displaced and destitute, and were deeply saddened. In a ruined temple in a small town, they
