In the final years of the Da Qi dynasty, imperial authority had fallen into other hands and the court was in turmoil. Within the palace, the Director of Ceremonial Supervisors, who also commanded the Zhaoxing Bureau, approved imperial rescripts on the emperor's behalf and wielded the power of life and death, striking terror into the officials. Beyond the palace, princes formed factions and schemed for power, while aristocratic families plotted against one another behind closed doors and preyed on the people for profit. The Sheng household, where the heroine lived, appeared prosperous on the surface, but in truth it was a cold-blooded, hypocritical family that had built its fortune on the original wife's dowry.
