In the thirty-fifth year of the Jiajing reign, a well-planned "accident" at the "Qinghui Academy" in the capital pushed Shen Xinghen, an orphan from a poor family, into hell - burned in flames, her reputation was disgraced, and she was expelled from the capital. Ten years later, a mysterious woman returns as a "photographer" (a craftsman who uses special pigments, light and shadow to draw realistic portraits/create illusions) and quietly sneaks into the shadow of the powerful in the capital. She holds a cinnabar brush in her left hand to outline the fate of her enemies; she holds a purple compass in her right hand to deduce the secret star paths of the dynasty.
When a series of bizarre murders befall the perpetrators in the form of "natural punishment", the powerful Yan Party, the mysterious Dongchang, and the remnants of Bailian dormant among the people are all involved. The web of revenge laid by Shen Xinghen unexpectedly involves the shocking secret of Emperor Jiajing's pursuit of immortality and the battle for the throne that shakes the country.
This is a dark picture with flesh and blood as the ink and power as the pen. When the flames of revenge begin to devour the organizer herself, can Shen Xinghen complete her "dark glory" in the Forbidden City, which is killing every step of the way? Or is she just a pawn in a larger chess game? "Cinnabar Yin" arouses blood feud, but also the fate of the country.
