Sword in Hand, Book in Hand

Ni Feiying is the daughter of a disgraced official convicted of a crime. Reduced to working as an embroiderer and treated coldly by her relatives, she longs to escape her difficult life and clear her father's name. Through a matchmaker, she marries Yuan Qichong, the mysterious deputy commander of the Imperial Guards. Under her husband's gentle care, her insecure and sensitive heart gradually comes back to life, and she falls in love.

The court pushes forward new reforms, and Yuan Qichong secretly aids the reform faction. Through socializing among women, Ni Feiying gradually demonstrates her abilities and builds connections. She investigates the truth behind her father's old case while doing her best to support her husband. But Yuan Qichong's secret identity as a deadly assassin slowly comes to light. Feiying also gradually uncovers the past connections between her husband, the powerful court official, the emperor, and her father's old case. When she learns the truth, she is devastated and shaken to the core.

After the reforms comes a struggle over the succession. The factional rivalry between the Orchid Party and the Osmanthus Party grows ever fiercer, and the court is rife with corruption, infighting, and political framing. Feiying and Qichong are forced deep into the conflict. Trials of their love and tense developments follow one after another...