Lin Wantang, a modern restorer of cultural relics, accidentally transmigrates while restoring a Song-dynasty kesi tapestry. She becomes Shen Tantan, a concubine-born embroiderer ostracized at the Jiangnan Imperial Weaving Bureau.
Her first thought upon waking isn’t to compete for favor. Instead, she realizes her embroidery skills are even more expert than those of the people of this era. After all, she has spent ten years restoring ancient paintings and textile artifacts. But she soon understands that her skills are both a golden finger and a death warrant here: the bureau is facing its once-every-three-years tribute deadline, and if it fails to produce a masterpiece, the entire household will be punished. If she draws attention to herself, her stepmother and elder sister will turn her bones into the frame of an embroidered screen.
She had hoped to keep a low profile and stay alive, but she catches the attention of Lu Jingzhou, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who has been demoted to Jiangnan to investigate a case. He was framed at court and has now come south to investigate in secret. He desperately needs an “insider” who understands how the weaving bureau works. What interests him about Shen Tantan isn’t her beauty, but her discerning eye, which can spot a fake tribute kesi at a glance.
They strike a deal: she helps him investigate embezzlement at the bureau, and he keeps her safe. But beyond their bargain, he quietly brings her a cup of tea that won’t burn her mouth while she restores a rare embroidery manual. When she is falsely accused of adultery, he says coldly, “If she says she didn’t, then she didn’t.” This clumsy yet unwavering trust is more devastating than any vow of eternal love.
But when the embezzlement case points straight to a prince, and Lu Jingzhou’s old injuries flare up and he is secretly taken back to the capital to stand trial, Shen Tantan must choose between “using her secret weaving technique to save his life” and “protecting herself.” The only letter Lu Jingzhou writes to her from prison contains just eight words:
“Don’t come for me. Live well.”
She refuses.
