[Power struggles + mutual angst + palace-family intrigue + lingering regrets]
The story follows three main character arcs. The eldest brother, Shen Yan, rises from slavery to a position of immense power at court. His storyline is somewhat angsty and includes BL. His twin sister, Shen Wei, goes from a courtesan to a prince's consort, following a household-intrigue arc. Their younger sister, Shen Yu, has a sweet, doting romance.
After the Shen family is convicted and their estate confiscated, one sibling rises from slavery to power at court, while another goes from the daughter of a disgraced official to Crown Princess. The four Shen siblings each face their own perilous path, taking every step with caution.
Shen Yan, the eighteen-year-old twin brother, is gentle and refined yet deeply calculating. Sent to the frontier as a slave, he endures and lies low, intent only on clearing the Shen family's name.
Shen Wei, Shen Yan's twin sister, has remarkable healing skills, but is sent to the Imperial Music Bureau. While keeping a low profile in the pleasure quarter, she encounters a prince who has been married for seven years without an heir.
Shen Yu, the sixteen-year-old beauty of the family, gives herself to the rakish young heir Han Ye, only to find herself falling in love with him.
Shen Ce, the Great General Who Guards the North, is far away on the northern frontier with a mighty army at his command. When the case against the Shen family breaks, his fate is unknown…
An autumn rain scatters the Shen siblings across the land, but also binds them together. From the Western Frontier to the capital, from the imperial prison to the Imperial Music Bureau, all four make use of their strengths, carefully navigating one desperate situation after another. They vow to uncover the truth behind the missing military funds and clear the Shen family's name. But with power struggles and schemes between people standing in their way, how will they break through?
