Set during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, this story follows the reign of Emperor Gao Yang of Northern Qi, whose indiscriminate killings bring misery to the court and the people. The remonstrating official Li Ji speaks out against him and is boiled alive by the emperor. Li Ji’s wife, Huo Shi, hangs herself in grief, while their young daughter, Li Lianjun, escapes with refugees into Northern Zhou under the protection of the family’s servants. There, she meets Yu Wenda, a Northern Zhou prince. Determined to avenge her family, Li Lianjun studies medicine and assumes the alias Feng Xiaolian. She is recruited by Northern Zhou’s assassination organization as a covert operative, where she learns song, dance, seduction, and assassination. When she grows up, she infiltrates the Northern Palace as a maid. Her beauty and intelligence earn her a place in Empress Mu Xieli’s household. Seeking to secure her position as empress, Mu Xieli offers Feng Xiaolian to Emperor Gao Wei. Feng Xiaolian enthralls the emperor, leaving him to neglect state affairs and indulge in debauchery. She joins forces with Northern Zhou to destroy Qi, finally avenging her family. Yu Wenda loves Feng Xiaolian and sincerely seeks her hand, but, unable to face the man she loves because of her past with Gao Wei, especially the infamous spectacle of her body displayed in public, Feng Xiaolian retires from the world alone after being granted to Yu Wenda. In the end, Yu Wenda dies heartbroken.
