The heroine Li Wantang was born into an old aristocracy that was in rapid decline due to the failure of its technological line. She was regarded as a victim of political marriage by her family. She married Shen Qingyue, the only grandson of the imperial family who had not undergone genetic optimization and was rumored to be terminally ill, in order to exchange for the family's respite. On the day of the wedding, everyone was waiting to see her become a widow or receive cold treatment. However, when Li Wantang met Shen Qingyue for the first time, he keenly caught the deep calculation and desire for control in his eyes that was not belonging to a dying person. She quickly made a judgment: pretending to be dead was fake, while dormant was real. The grandson of the emperor had a grand plan. In order to avoid becoming a political pawn or being silently eliminated, she took the initiative to propose a cooperation contract to Shen Qingyue - she helped him protect and deal with it in exchange for the living space of herself and her maternal family. Shen Qingyue agreed with great interest. From then on, in the crisis-ridden palace, Li Wantang relied on antique-level strategic wisdom that did not belong to this era (derived from the ancient inheritance of his maternal family) and astonishing powers of observation to assist Shen Qingyue in dealing with the overt and covert attacks from other prince factions, the military, chaebols and even the Queen Mother. From mutual testing and contract cooperation, to back-to-back battles in life-and-death crises, the two gradually developed complex emotions that transcended interests. However, when Shen Qingyue's "sick body" gradually "recovered" and showed his talents, heading towards the pinnacle of power, Li Wantang discovered that her biggest opponent might be the husband beside her who was increasingly revealing his emperor's mind. She must make the final choice between sincerity and survival, family and self, and complete the gorgeous transformation from chess piece to chess player, and finally side by side with the chess player.
