Jiang Ruan, the sickly illegitimate daughter of the prime minister's household, is forced into a substitute marriage and becomes the “wife” of Xie Wujiu, the Eastern Depot's powerful chief. She seems like a timid little bird in a cage, but is actually the orphaned daughter of the former dynasty's secret guard commander, in possession of the Shanhe Cangjiao Edict, a document capable of overturning imperial rule. She pretends to be obedient as she enters a marriage of convenience with the obsessive, unhinged eunuch. As they save each other, they uncover a blood feud and set the flames of a chaotic age ablaze together.
