In the deep palace of the Dayin Dynasty, the third princess Zhao Hengyue has been favored by thousands of people since she was a child, but she can only solve the mystery of her mother, Concubine Chen, who "died of illness" six months ago. On the anniversary of her death, she touched the warm white jade hairpin and unexpectedly awakened the power of "seeing shadows when touching objects" - in the broken afterimage, she could see her mother suffocating and struggling, which was completely different from the "peaceful death" recorded in the palace.
Within this palace wall, family affection has always been a knife-edge wrapped in honey. The cold and suspicious father kept secrets, the gentle and distant prince brother seemed to be hiding his secrets, the unruly and pure brother Prince Jing took risks for her, the seemingly loving Queen Mother and grandmother had cold eyes hidden in their eyes, and the eldest princess, who was eyeing her with eagerness, was pressing on her step by step. The family members she relies on all carry unknown secrets; the family she is attached to is actually a whirlpool of conspiracies.
What makes her even more frightened is that this "afterimage" is not absolutely real - those in power can use secret techniques to tamper with the memory carrier and keep the truth in the fog. She used her supernatural powers to peel off the cocoons, only to find that the death of her mother-in-law involved the bloodline of the Mirror Shadow Clan, the secret passage of the Jade Seal, and the royal contract that had been sealed for centuries, and her own life experience had long been the most critical chess piece in this power game.
From a charming and naive princess to a powerful chess player, Zhao Hengyue struggles between the true and false afterimages, and moves forward amidst the separation of siblings and the undercurrent of the court. She supported each other with her best friends in life and death, and grew up in the choice between family love and the truth. Finally, she peeled off the layers of disguise, let her blood return to her heart, and made justice clear. This is a deep palace puzzle about love and betrayal, protection and awakening. It is also a princess's journey to find herself and redemption in an imperfect family.
