A salt-tax case at court sends Wang Yanqing, heir to the Wang family, to Qingzhou on official business. Shen Zhiwei, a concubine-born daughter of the Shen family, is drawn into the turmoil after saving the governor’s wife, and Wang Yanqing repeatedly comes to her rescue. Rumors spread, and when Shen’s father tries to offer her as a concubine, the legitimate branch of the family objects. Her stepmother sets a trap to frame her, and Shen Zhiwei nearly loses her chastity. Wang Yanqing takes her in and promises to make her his concubine, but she refuses. Shen Zhiwei leaves behind a blood-written letter and disappears, taking an important keepsake with her.
