A Trial of Spring in the Ninth Heaven

At the Noble Consort's birthday banquet, a gold hairpin bestowed by imperial decree is discovered to have been swapped for a fake. Yun Jiangxue finds clues pointing to the Worthy Consort, but offends the Director of the Palace Justice Office. When the Empress falls ill, traces of gold-woven brocade thread are found in the medicinal dregs. Yun Jiangxue identifies the method of murder, in which the fabric was soaked in poison, and discovers that her father's wrongful conviction is tied to a palace secret from years ago. During the Emperor's ceremony to worship Heaven, the imperial incense proves suspicious. By examining the ash, Yun Jiangxue exposes the Noble Consort's accomplices and is promoted to head of the Court Jewels Office, only to be poisoned in retaliation. The Crown Prince suddenly suffers a fit of madness, and the glass cup he uses leads to a secret medicine from the previous dynasty. Director Xu reveals the truth, and Jiangxue is demoted to the Laundry Bureau. There, she discovers an incriminating handkerchief and joins forces with oppressed palace maids to form an intelligence network. At the New Year's Eve banquet, they expose a twenty-year conspiracy. With the truth revealed, the Emperor reforms the harem, and Yun Jiangxue takes charge of the Palace Administration Bureau and reforms its outdated rules. ...