Frost in the Scabbard

On his way to sit the provincial examinations, Chen Wenqi, a scholar from Huguang, encounters one strange event after another. He devises a plan to free Zhongli Lan from an absurd marriage contract with a young bully, and becomes sworn sisters with Shen Lingshan, who is disguised as a man.

In the provincial, metropolitan, and palace examinations that follow, Chen Wenqi takes first place in all three. Emperor Zhu Youtang is delighted and orders a banquet at Qionglin Garden to celebrate the successful candidates. But Chen Wenqi's scarlet top-scorer's robes violate the clan rules, and Zhu Youtang has him thrown into the imperial prison.

The Tatar Jiren Abahai lays out a bizarre formation. Chen Wenqi explains its origins and history, then wagers on the Tatars' own specialty, shooting upright with a powerful bow, forcing Abahai to submit.

On his westward journey, Chen Wenqi survives an assassination attempt, rescues a young woman, solves a strange case, and more. Danger and excitement follow him at every turn. At last, he reunites with his beloved, who has traveled a thousand miles in search of him, and arrives safely at Ningxia Guard.

Xia Yao and Chen Wenqi use a plan to lure the enemy out and wipe out 30,000 Tatar troops in one decisive strike, reclaiming the occupied territory.

Shen Qing finally reunites with Shen Lingshan. While treating Chen Wenqi's injuries, she discovers a jade pendant carved with a phoenix and suspects that he may be her long-lost son, Shen Ji...

Shen Lingshan and Chen Wenqi join forces to decipher a “secret letter” from twenty years ago and uncover the astonishing secret hidden within...

Watching Chen Wenqi and Shen Lingshan fall deeply in love, Shen Qing is consumed with worry and privately wonders how to stop this “forbidden” romance.