In the fictional Great Jing dynasty, imperial power has fallen into decline, while the empress dowager and her relatives hold sway over the court. The princes are locked in a fierce struggle for the throne, and border wars break out constantly. The easygoing prince Shen Qingci is set up by the empress dowager and forced to marry a powerful minister’s daughter. To escape her control, he seeks out Xie Yanzhi, the all-powerful prime minister and his former tutor, proposing a deal: "Help you secure your position as prime minister in exchange for your help breaking off my engagement." Xie Yanzhi seems cold and distant, yet secretly helps him resolve one crisis after another…
