On a snowy night, teahouse owner Liu Lingyue rescues Song Siqing, a poor scholar nearly frozen to death. No one knows that she is also the mysterious literary figure Jiang Yanfei. Then, on the night of the Lantern Festival, Liang Chao'an, the capital's most notorious playboy, gives a teasing smile and waves his fan. “The willows by the river are veiled in mist... Shopkeeper Liu, isn't the answer you?” One lantern riddle loosens three masks at once.
Thunder crashes at the Qionglin Banquet. New jinshi Song Siqing is publicly claimed by the Old Duke and forced to take the name Zhao Huaizhen, going from poor scholar to pawn in a political power struggle. Soon, the Liang family is falsely accused of collaborating with the enemy, and heir Liang Chao'an bids farewell on a snowy night before being banished to Lingzhou. The three stars go their separate ways: he trains troops on the frontier and bides his time, she weaves a network of informants in the capital through her teahouse, and he is torn day and night between his birth father and his conscience.
A night raid in Shuozhou, swapped evidence, the drum of grievances resounding... When its thunderous beat echoes through the great hall, the ironclad evidence shines clear, and a seven-year injustice finally comes to light. Once the dust settles, Liang Chao'an and Liu Lingyue withdraw to the mountains, where they establish a school and pass on the light of knowledge. Zhao Huaizhen goes alone to Jiangnan, spending the rest of his life atoning through diligent service.
Ten years later, the academy's lights illuminate the silhouette of someone returning. This land was once broken, but at last, along the paths each person chose, it comes together again in the shape of peace and prosperity.
