During the Lantern Festival when he was seven years old, a fire engulfed Chu Zijin's home and destroyed his carefree childhood. His father Chu Yunting, mother Churou, and uncle Chu Yunchao were all killed in the flames. The few words the nurse pointed at the Ninth Prince before her death became an undying mystery in his heart.
After ten years of forbearance, he changed his name to Chu Zijin, hid in the countryside with his nanny's daughter, and studied the books of sages, just to one day return to the capital, find out the truth, and avenge his relatives. With his unforgettable talent and ten years of honing his talents, he won the first prize in one fell swoop, became the number one scholar in a new subject, and entered the court where power is intertwined.
When he first entered the capital, he accidentally rescued the incognito Princess Jingxian, Shangguan Zhirong. The two of them became close, but they deliberately distanced themselves due to doubts about their parentage (mistaking the Ninth Prince as their biological father), which made the princess secretly sad. They had been together for ten years, and their feelings were hidden. Seeing him and the princess gradually becoming romantically involved, they could only bury their thoughts deep in their hearts.
As he traced old cases, he discovered that the massacre of the Chu family was no accident. Behind it were the undercurrents of the court forces - the corruption of Prime Minister Li Yu, the cruelty of the Ninth Prince, and even the secrets of the national war twenty years ago. And the mystery of his life experience was gradually revealed. It turned out that he was not the son of the Ninth Prince, but the true blood of the Chu family.
The knot in his heart was untied, and he faced his feelings for the princess. The two supported each other in the wind and rain, and their love gradually grew stronger. At the same time, the silent guardianship of Su Wenxuan (the princess's childhood sweetheart), the son of the minister of officialdom, and the intelligent help of Liu Ruyan (cousin of Su Wenxuan), the daughter of the minister of household affairs, make this road of revenge and love even more twists and turns.
From an orphan boy in the countryside to the prince-son-in-law of the No. 1 Scholar, Chu Zijin worked step by step, sticking to his original intention in the whirlpool of power and intrigue. He not only has to deal with the court's open and secret attacks, find out the real murderer of the year, and comfort the souls of the dead; he also has to balance his affection with the princess and his guilt at the beginning, and find a destination in the entanglement of love and hate. When the truth was revealed layer by layer, he discovered that behind the hatred of exterminating his family was a shocking conspiracy concerning the fate of his family and country, and he was already at the center of the storm...
Intention: Gratitude and resentment, love and hate, deep and unknown love