In Republican-era Changsha, undercurrents churn among the Nine Gates, and smoke from gunfire blankets the ancient city.
Zhang Zhiwan is Zhang Qishan's younger sister. Born into the heart of the Zhang family's power, she mastered an astonishing array of concealed weapons from a young age. Raised in luxury and blessed with the prestige of a great family, she is admired by countless eligible young men. Everyone believes she ought to marry someone of equal status and power.
But her heart belongs to Zhang Xiaoyu, Zhang Qishan's adjutant.
Weather-beaten and scarred, Zhang Xiaoyu is only an adjutant serving under Zhang Qishan. He sees clearly the vast gulf between them: their family backgrounds are worlds apart, and their social standing could not be more different. Long trapped in an inferiority complex, he is convinced he is lowly and unworthy of the pampered young lady of the Zhang family, and repeatedly retreats from and avoids her feelings.
Even as turmoil engulfs the land and crises multiply, disputes among the Nine Gates and bizarre cases keep piling up. The mysterious disappearance of Unit 401 from the military hospital, secrets hidden in underground passages, and danger after danger sweep the two of them along. Gossip, the shackles of family status, and life-and-death perils all stand in their way.
But Zhang Zhiwan is stubborn and fiercely resolute. Neither society's judgment nor the disparity in their status can shake her in the slightest. In a world adrift amid chaos, anything may change, except her feelings for Zhang Xiaoyu. She will never change her mind, even unto death. In Changsha, where power struggles intertwine with conspiracies, their story is about to unfold.
