During the Yongping era of the Dayin Dynasty, the Qian family has stood for a hundred years as one of the great clans, with deep roots in both the imperial court and the martial world. Its business spans the realm, its sons hold office at court, and numerous martial world factions are on friendly terms with it. But the family patriarch, Qian Mingyuan, suddenly falls gravely ill, and no medicine can help him. Hoping to keep him alive, the family takes the advice of a fortune-teller and has Chen Shu, a woman from a poor family fallen on hard times, marry into the Qian household to bring good fortune. Chen Shu thus becomes, in name, the “stepmother” of Qian Zhenduo, the Qian family’s legitimate eldest son, and steps into a maelstrom of household intrigue, where danger lurks around every corner. Within the Qian family, factions have long been scheming against one another for power, wealth, and status. Meanwhile, political enemies at court and mysterious organizations in the martial world are all eyeing the Qian family. These intertwined forces create a complex and ever-changing backdrop for the story.
