In the mid-period of the Great Jing Dynasty, powerful clans and court factions are deeply intertwined. The Shen family became a prominent Jiangnan house through its canal transport and silk businesses, but when it refused to hand over its canal interests to the upstart Gu Yanchen, who had risen to power by currying favor with a prince, Gu bore a grudge. In her previous life, Gu Yanchen used a marriage alliance as a pretext to marry into the Shen family, secretly joining forces with a prince and pirates to frame the Shens for colluding with the enemy and smuggling. The entire family was sentenced to death. Shen Qingci was imprisoned for three months before dying a horrific death, while Lu Zheng was hacked to death as he tried to save her.
