She was born a noblewoman of the capital, yet lived worse than a servant. Shen Qingci, the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Personnel's household, suffers constant abuse. On her wedding day, her stepmother and younger sister plot together to make her take her sister's place and marry into the Prince of Zhenbei's residence, a place like a tomb for the living.
The infamous Prince of Zhenbei, Ye Xuancheng, is gravely wounded and near death, with a violent temper. He marries her only to bring himself good fortune while he waits to die. Everyone laughs at her lowly fate, saying she has married the "King of Hell" and will soon be a widow.
On their wedding night, facing a frigid room and a pale, frail prince whose sharp edge remains undimmed, Shen Qingci quietly grips the golden needles left to her by her birth mother. Does he think she's an easy target? Her peerless medical skills are the trump card that will let her turn the tables.
Little does she know that the "dying" man on the bed is a tiger with his eyes open in secret. He is pretending to be ill and gravely wounded to uncover the bloody injustice that befell his family. His claws, long held in wait, are already stained with his enemies' blood.
One spouse conceals their abilities and bides their time, while the other hides a sharp edge. From testing one another to cautiously joining forces, from rooting out spies in the household to fighting together against the sinister currents of the imperial court.
See how they put on a show for the world: she is a gifted healer, the "lucky bride" who saves him from disaster; he is a ruthless, cold-faced "King of Hell," her strongest support. But behind closed doors, he grips her by the waist and pins her against the wall. "My consort used me as a pawn again today. How do you intend to settle this debt?"
When the truth about the substitute marriage comes to light and their former enemies tremble before them, they finally realize that this game of power and revenge has long since stopped being an act. They have fallen into each other's hearts, and fallen in love.
