The Twin Beauties of the Burning Palace

In the matriarchal kingdom of Ning, two phoenixes share the imperial palace.

The empress lavishes all her affection on the eldest princess, Yu Xiyue, while the younger princess, Yu Qingqing, grows up surrounded by cold stares and neglect.

Gu Yuxuan, Ningcheng's most sought-after young nobleman, has eyes only for the lonely Yu Qingqing. But an imperial edict forces him to marry the eldest princess. On their wedding day, he declares that his heart belongs to someone else and would rather die than submit. For this, he is confined to a cold courtyard for years.

Yu Xiyue loves Wu Ziao, a young man of humble birth. The gulf between him and the royal family makes their love difficult at every turn.

After her love is shattered, Yu Qingqing casts aside her gentleness and secretly has Wu Ziao killed.

Having lost the one she loved, Yu Xiyue buries all her sincerity. She pretends to drink herself into ruin and lose herself in pleasure, then rescues a wandering boy named Mo Bai and takes him into her household, sullying her own reputation as she lies low.

Yu Qingqing grieves the loss of the one she loved and devotes herself to governing. Diligent and outstanding, she wins the hearts of the court. Yet in the end, the empress overrules all opposition and names Yu Xiyue, who seems to have achieved nothing, as crown princess.

The succession is settled, but the threat remains.

Yu Xiyue finds her childhood friend, Yi Xiaochi. Years ago, the Yi family was falsely accused and exiled to an enemy city. Adopted by a wealthy merchant, Yi Xiaochi now commands foreign forces. The two make a pact and set an elaborate trap, forging evidence of collusion with the enemy to frame Yu Qingqing for treason.

Gu Yuxuan sees through the entire conspiracy, but trapped behind bars, he can do nothing to save the woman he loves, despite the grief and anger filling his heart.

The dragon throne is cold, and kin turn against kin.

Only after Yu Xiyue steps over her younger sister's wronged bones to ascend the throne does she win an empire stretching for thousands of miles, only to realize that no one remains in this world to admire the same moon with her.