In the fifteenth year of Qianlong’s reign, a palace coup erupts on a snowy night. Consort Xian plots treason, and the empress’s third daughter, Yongyan, is struck down by villains just three days after her birth.
To protect their sister, the eldest son, Yongheng, and the Gurun Princess, Yongxuan, risk their lives to smuggle the swaddled baby beyond the palace walls. They have no idea that the princess, born with a crescent-shaped birthmark on her neck and wearing a silver lock engraved with the character “Xian,” will be accidentally adopted by Aunt Zhang, who lives in a crowded courtyard in the south of the city. She names the child Xiaoyanzi.
Eighteen years pass. Xiaoyanzi grows up in the crowded courtyard, forming an unbreakable bond with Liu Qing and Liu Hong. Her sworn brother Xiao Jian becomes her guardian in the martial world. Spirited and forthright, she dares to love and hate, never suspecting that the most legitimate imperial bloodline of the Qing dynasty runs through her veins.
When Aunt Zhang suddenly falls gravely ill, Xiaoyanzi risks entering the palace alone to save her adoptive mother. Through a series of mishaps, the emperor mistakes her for his goddaughter and bestows upon her the title of Princess Huanzhu.
Beneath the palace’s splendor, undercurrents swirl.
The remnants of Consort Xian’s faction remain, and her ambitious niece, Xue Chenxue, attaches herself to the Second Prince, Yonghui, and makes trouble for Xiaoyanzi at every turn;
The Fifth Prince, Yongqi, has ulterior motives, while Ziwei eggs him on from the sidelines, hoping to use Xiaoyanzi’s identity to marry into the imperial family;
Only the gentle, unambitious Eighth Prince is sincerely in love with Xinrong, a refined young woman from a distinguished family, and wholeheartedly supports his elder brother Yongheng;
The Furlen family is renowned for generations of loyalty and bravery. Straight-laced Erkang and perceptive Qing’er become the strongest allies of the legitimate imperial line.
During the emperor’s southern inspection tour, Xiaoyanzi takes an arrow meant for him. The birthmark on the back of her neck is revealed, and the silver lock engraved with “Xian” matches an old keepsake belonging to the empress. The secret of eighteen years is finally exposed: Princess Huanzhu transforms into the empress’s daughter and the Gurun Princess Zhu.
