[Actor × Top Scholar × Solving a wrongful conviction] Jincheng is adrift, the world sinking into chaos.
She is the celebrated actress who graces the stage in exquisite finery, captivating the world with every graceful glance and flutter of her water sleeves.
He is the newly crowned top scholar, young and brilliant, with a future as bright as the splendid career that lies ahead of him.
On the eve of the imperial examination results, he happens to enter a theater and sees her performing onstage. He falls for her at first sight, and from then on, his heart is irrevocably hers.
After earning top honors, he stays at the Top Scholar Tower, unable to forget that fleeting glimpse of her onstage, and hoping that one day they can spend the rest of their lives together.
But the world is merciless, and turmoil erupts without warning.
The Grand Secretary is mysteriously murdered, and every clue points to her. The once-celebrated actress is suddenly branded a killer, imprisoned, unable to defend herself, and cursed by the world.
Everyone condemns her to death. Only two men refuse to believe she's guilty.
One is the Grand Secretary's son, grieving the loss of his father yet still devoted to her. He cannot believe the woman he loves could be so ruthless.
The other is the top scholar who fell for her at first sight. He cannot believe that the gentle-eyed beauty onstage could commit murder.
A shocking wrongful conviction, a love entwined amid the chaos of a troubled age.
With her face painted and dressed in red, is she a vision of beauty or guilty by nature?
The top scholar takes up his brush, abandons his glittering official career, and steps into danger and uncertainty, determined to unravel the layers of conspiracy, track down the real culprit, clear her name, and keep her safe for life.
Their story begins on a stage of romance and intrigue, then becomes bound by a bloody miscarriage of justice. In this chaotic age, can they break through the web of deception, stay true to their first meeting, and remain faithful to their hearts?
