The heroine, Yuan Jingyao, is the esteemed Eldest Princess of the dynasty. She takes a liking to the handsome hero, Gao Yuanyu. The hero was once the crown prince of the previous dynasty. He concealed his identity and became the eldest son of a general in the current dynasty. He originally intended to use the heroine's younger sister to control the court, but through a twist of fate, he became the heroine's consort instead. After their marriage, the heroine discovers that the hero is having an affair with her younger sister. She also learns that he caused the miscarriage of her first child with him. Gradually coming to her senses, she sees through the ambitions of the hero and the general's family. She deliberately gets close to the hero's younger brother, the second male lead, hoping to learn the general's family's secrets. As the general's ambitions grow, the heroine plans to kill both the hero and the second male lead, but she is injured in the process. The hero saves her, and after feeling moved by his actions, she realizes that this is yet another part of his plan and gradually loses heart. At this point, the crown prince stages a coup and tries to kill the heroine. The hero saves her once again, further boosting his standing at court. The general grows displeased with the hero's ever-increasing power, so he plots to have him killed by sending him to the frontier on the pretext of offering birthday congratulations. The hero learns of the scheme in advance and flees with the heroine. As they travel, feelings gradually grow between them, and in the end the hero kills the general and takes control of the army. Now wary of the hero's growing power, the heroine joins forces with the second male lead, who is in love with her, and ascends to the position of Crown Princess. But the second male lead's mother discovers that the heroine is carrying the hero's child. Fearing she will be blackmailed, the heroine kills the second male lead's mother. When the truth comes out, the second male lead, consumed by love turned to hatred, joins forces with the hero to overthrow the heroine's royal house. After the heroine's kingdom falls, the hero keeps her confined as his possession. She pretends to have lost her memory, assassinates the hero, then escapes and launches several attempts to restore her kingdom. In the end, the second male lead, consumed by deep resentment, kills her, and the hero soon dies of grief.
