At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Chongzhen ascended the throne and tried to eliminate the eunuchs. The situation in the court changed dramatically. The Jinyi guards Pei Lie, Qin Yu and Su Ran are brothers who love each other, but they can't help themselves in this treacherous political whirlpool. Pei Lie is eager to be promoted and change his destiny; Qin Yu falls in love with Lin Ruoli, a woman from the Jiaofang Department, and raises money everywhere to redeem her from the sea of misery; Su Ran is plagued by old illnesses and old enemies, and is miserable.
At this time, the eunuch Zhao Jingzhong secretly assigned them to hunt down the exiled eunuch Wei Zhongxian. For their own purposes, Pei Lie wavered at the critical moment, reached a deal with Wei Zhongxian and faked his death. However, their actions soon arouse suspicion and the three are drawn into a deadly conspiracy. Wei Zhongxian and Zhao Jingzhong joined forces to silence them, and various forces in the court were also secretly planning to press them step by step.
The three brothers had to evade pursuit while surviving in a complex power struggle. The former friendship began to crack under the test of life and death and the temptation of interests. Pei Lie struggled with guilt and regret, Qin Yu risked his life for love and brothers, and Su Ran insisted on the final justice in despair. When the truth gradually emerged, they discovered that they were just pawns on a chessboard, and that there was a greater crisis and conspiracy hidden behind them...
