Su Zhuo, the legitimate daughter of the Su family of the capital, enters the imperial palace armed with intelligence and resolve. With a single melody on her qin, she wins the emperor's heart. Knowing that every step in the harem is fraught with danger, she uses Xie Chengyan's exclusive favor as a shield to fend off the consorts' schemes and her family's entanglements. At the same time, she wields clear-eyed calculation as a blade, steadily finding her footing in the whirlpool of power. From an obscure consort's rank to empress, she becomes not only the emperor's one true love, but also a woman who carves out her own path to the throne through her own efforts.
