Yu Wenshang, the eldest daughter of the Minister of Civil Service, lived in isolation in the south of the Yangtze River for more than ten years to recuperate due to rumors that she had "denied relatives." A recall order sent her to the bustling and cold Shengjing.
Glancing through the curtain of the carriage, he unexpectedly caught the sight of Pei Yi, the powerful Marquis of Wu'an. Her forbearance in return and her "unlucky" destiny aroused his pure interest in scrutiny.
The reception banquet turns into a Hongmen banquet, and Mei Lin sacrifices his mother to be coveted by Xiao Xiao. She uses her poisonous tongue and secrets as blades, and the Shangyuan Lantern Festival is full of murderous intentions. Her stepmother sets up a trap to take her life, but she is involved in a bigger storm... Yu Wenshang uses his wits and scheming as a spear to navigate the strife in the back house of the Yu Mansion and the undercurrent of the Shengjing court. Pei Yi proposed a cold deal: he would give her shelter in the Marquis Mansion, and she would give him a legitimate "minion". A plum branch is both a promise and a yoke.
The orphan girl plays chess, the powerful minister makes the move, and they use the mountains and rivers as their recruits to participate in a shocking chess game where life and death are the same.
Purpose: Fighting fire with fire: hatred, calculation and the possibility of redemption