During the Tianshun period of the Wei Dynasty, Shen Zhaozhao, a pearl diver from the south of the Yangtze River, was selected as a palace maid because of her beauty. However, she was framed and sent to the cold palace for refusing the imperial concubine's unreasonable request. In the cold palace, she relied on the tenacity and observation skills she had honed while fishing for pearls, and discovered the secret message left by the late emperor, revealing the concubine's false pregnancy and collaborating with the enemy, gradually gaining influence and slapping her enemies in the face. In the process, she met Chu Heng, the subjugated prince of the Chen Kingdom who was lurking in the Wei Dynasty. The two went from exploitation to affection, and together they uncovered the truth about the tyranny of the Wei emperor. In the end, Shen Zhaozhao counterattacked from a cold palace maid to become queen, and Chu Heng overthrew the Wei regime and proclaimed himself emperor. The two worked together to achieve national peace and prosperity.
