After ten years of hard study, Gu Qingyan's civil service exam essay is stolen and submitted by her cousin, robbing her of her chance at a title overnight. She bides her time and gathers hard evidence, only for her cousin and the chief examiner to join forces to silence her. At her most desperate moment, the upright top scholar Shen Yanzhi risks his life to beat the grievance drum, prompting the court to reopen the case. But just as the truth is about to come to light, her cousin produces a marriage contract bearing Shen Yanzhi's name. It turns out he is the biggest pawn in the exam-cheating scheme.
