An An, the cousin of the Marquis of Jing'an's daughter, seems meek and good-natured, but is in truth a hunter carefully weaving her web. She smiles as she grows close to every woman around her cousin, Marquis heir Gu Hegui: she befriends his future princess consort, gives her rouge that ruins her looks, frames his concubine for plotting against his childhood sweetheart, and sends an embroidered handkerchief to his confidante, until they all meet their ends in a string of “accidents.” Night after night, Gu Hegui sees only An An waiting by his side with tears in her eyes, and gradually falls under the spell of this gentle, understanding flower. When he pins the jade hairpin from her coming-of-age ceremony into her hair himself, he catches a glimpse of her smile in the mirror. The deadly hairpin is dripping with the blood of those who came before.
