During the Jinghe period of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the imperial power was on the decline, the influence of relatives and aristocratic families was intertwined, and undercurrents were surging inside and outside the palace. As an exclusive skill for the royal family, the Diancui craft is not only a status symbol, but also becomes the focus of competition among all parties because of the legend of "soul condensation" contained in it.
The Shen family was once the head of a family of hairpins in the capital. They were famous for their superb emerald-making skills. They were also secretly responsible for restoring ancient hairpins in the palace and guarding royal secrets. Ten years ago, the entire Shen family was executed on the charge of "hiding the jade hairpin of the previous dynasty with the intention of subverting the imperial power." Only the young Shen Qingci was rescued by his loyal servant and worked anonymously as a handyman in the Shang Food Bureau, relying on his skills in repairing old hairpins.
The male protagonist Xiao Jue is Prince Jing, the seventh younger brother of the current emperor. On the surface, he is obsessed with calligraphy and painting and does not care about political affairs. In fact, he controls the "Shadow Pavilion", a secret guard organization that handles confidential affairs for the emperor. The smuggling of palace artifacts he investigated was related to the craftsmanship of Diancui, and the murder of the Shen family involved an unsolved case involving the death of the late emperor.
In this era of competition between imperial power and aristocratic families, and intertwined skills and conspiracies, Shen Qingci's green repair technique and Xiao Jue's secret investigation are like two threads of fate, quietly intertwined with a broken phoenix hairpin in the turbulent Zhou Dynasty.
