Lin Wanjing, the illegitimate daughter of the Marquis of Yongning, bears an uncanny resemblance to the murdered former empress. Her family uses her as a pawn and sends her into the imperial palace.
The Zhou dynasty is in the grip of powerful imperial relatives. The empress dowager rules from behind the curtain, the emperor bides his time, and political storms brew beneath the surface.
Soon after entering the palace, Lin Wanjing is framed and banished to the Jingxin Nunnery, where her life hangs by a thread.
With her wit and courage, she unravels the mystery of her birth and discovers that the former empress was her aunt, cruelly murdered by poison.
Joining forces with the emperor, who has endured in silence for years, she investigates the old case and gathers irrefutable evidence of treason.
At the Dragon Boat Festival court assembly, she exposes the truth before everyone, brings down the Zhou clan, and clears the dead woman's name.
From a daughter at the mercy of others to Consort Chen, who rules the six palaces, she rises one step at a time.
She bears the emperor's eldest son, establishes schools for girls, and helps a wise ruler govern, eventually becoming a revered empress of her age.
Amid the whirlpool of court intrigue, she defies fate and reshapes her destiny, writing a legendary life of her own.
