Princess Lian Zhaohua of Dacheng supports her younger brother, Lian Yongchang, as he ascends the throne.
Though Lian Yongchang becomes emperor, he devotes himself to pleasure and lets others pull his strings.
Empress Dowager Fan uses her maternal family's influence to control the court.
When the chieftain of the Di people asks to marry the princess, Lian Zhaohua finds herself in a dilemma.
Underhanded currents roil the court, and from the imperial harem, Zhaohua struggles to keep abreast of the latest developments.
With no other choice, Zhaohua decides to enter the fray herself and experience the treacherous court firsthand.
To avoid the marriage proposal, she chooses Yin Yueyang, an inspector in the Ministry of Personnel, as her husband.
An inspector in the Ministry of Personnel works within the ministry while also overseeing its affairs, with the authority to act at their discretion.
Yin Yueyang has no powerful family backing him and takes a neutral stance, so all sides are comfortable letting him hold the post.
He is handsome and refined, but a complete coward by nature. A husband who is easy to control could hardly be better.
Zhaohua assumes the name Xie Zongran and enters the court as an official.
Rumors spread outside: The princess bribed officials for her lover Xie Zongran, and he rose rapidly through the ranks.
The officials protest: How can you call that embezzlement? It was a gift from Her Highness the Princess.
The more she sees her timid husband, the more valiant and dashing he seems. Could the princess have misjudged him...
With her husband ready to risk his life for her and her childhood friend, the great general, charging into danger on her behalf, the peerless strategist Princess Zhaohua brings peace to every corner of Dacheng.
