The Sorrowful Ballad of Love and Betrayal: An Official's Downfall tells the story of Xu Ying and Yuan Hao, and their love, hatred, joys, and sorrows. Twenty-eight-year-old Xu Ying is the most beautiful woman in the workplace in Anhe County, Qingyun City, Hengyuan Province. Her youthful beauty brings her plenty of trouble from the moment she starts her job. Her husband, Yuan Hao, is an ordinary employee who loves Xu Ying deeply and devotes all his attention to building their little home together. Xu Ying is an ambitious career woman who yearns for power and status, foreshadowing how she will later succumb to temptation and betray their love and marriage.
