Lin Wantang, daughter of a Ministry of Rites official, is framed by her stepmother and forced to enter the selection in her younger sister's place. She takes the medical texts left behind by her late mother into the palace, only to be drugged and disfigured during the preliminary round.
She accidentally saves a poisoned prince and wins the emperor's favor, but the Noble Consort schemes to make her miscarry. Secretly cultivating trusted physicians, she gradually gains power by taking advantage of the Empress Dowager's migraines.
She discovers that her birth mother's true identity is tied to a secret from the previous dynasty, and allies with the prime minister's adopted son to bring down the Noble Consort. When the emperor personally leads a campaign, she takes charge of the state in his absence and foils a coup.
She gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl, putting an end to rumors that she is a calamity who will ruin the kingdom. Then she uses a case involving floods in Jiangnan to eliminate corrupt ministers. On Mid-Autumn Festival, the officials kneel and plead for her to be made empress, and she ultimately becomes a wise and virtuous empress.
