The blind embroiderer A Ruan is drawn into the “Embroidered Soul Case” because of her “Heart-Locking Embroidery.” A wealthy merchant's late wife's embroidered screen suddenly depicts “a white silk cord strangling her neck,” and A Ruan is framed for murder and imprisoned. Imperial Guard Gu Yan is ordered to investigate. He discovers half of a broken jade pendant engraved with “Jingyang” hidden in her embroidery frame. It fits together with the pendant he carries, forming the mark of “Jingyang Palace.” The two go from adversaries to allies.
Using the lingering energy of the “Soul-Guiding Thread,” A Ruan can “touch memories.” While repairing an embroidery, she sees a scene from Gu Yan's mother's final moments: she hands a swaddled baby to an old eunuch and tells him, “The plum blossoms at Jingyang Palace should be blooming.” Gu Yan also discovers his mother's old grudge against the mastermind behind the “Embroidery Calamity Case.” The truth about their origins gradually emerges: A Ruan is the orphaned daughter of the Crown Prince, while Gu Yan was raised by his mother as a “substitute” to protect her.
To seize the throne for her own son, the Empress uses the “Soul-Guiding Thread” to manipulate memories and frame Gu Yan's mother and A Ruan's parents. A Ruan and Gu Yan sneak into the palace at night and reconstruct the truth behind the “Embroidery Calamity Case”: Gu Yan's mother was framed by the Empress for “using Heart-Locking Embroidery to control the Crown Prince” as she protected the Crown Prince's orphan, A Ruan.
In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, A Ruan presents the embroidery as evidence, while Gu Yan pledges his sword. Together, they expose the Empress's conspiracy. Once the truth is revealed, Gu Yan gives up his identity as a prince and reopens the “Embroidered Memories Pavilion” with A Ruan, using Heart-Locking Embroidery to protect ordinary people's memories. When the plum blossoms bloom, he takes her hand and says, “I once protected the imperial throne. Now, I protect only what you want to protect.”
