In the third year of Zhenghe, Empress Hao Guizhi, on her deathbed, entrusts her sons, princes Zhu He and Zhu Long, to Emperor Zhu Zheng. After her death, Consort Chen Hao, favored by the emperor, draws Liu Yu’s covetous attention. Liu Yu bribes palace maids to frame her again and again, then uses the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet to poison the guests and sow chaos. A witness kills herself, destroying the clues, and Consort Chen is left disgraced. With the Empress Dowager and powerful ministers backing her, Liu Yu succeeds in becoming empress.
The emperor names Zhu He crown prince and Zhu Long Prince of Yan, while Liu Yu’s son is made a prince. Unable to let go of her resentment, she allies with the Eastern Depot and builds up a faction of her own. Encouraged by a brocade-uniform guard instructor, Prince Zhu Long begins to covet the throne. During a royal hunt, Liu Yu sends assassins after the crown prince, but the attempt fails. She then fabricates the “Frontier Command Case,” leading to the horrific imprisonment of the Six Gentlemen and the slaughter of the crown prince’s most trusted aides. The power struggle between the secret police escalates. Liu Yu eliminates her rivals and takes control of the Eastern Depot, while secretly weakening the emperor with rare flowers and a mysterious poison.
A high monk sees through the poisoning plot and is silenced. The empress gradually takes control of the government. Crown Prince Zhu He senses the palace conspiracy, the Prince of Yan quietly gathers strength, and border commander Hao Qiang returns to the capital with his troops. Caught between factions, Consort Chen secretly passes along information. The Brocade Guard, Eastern Depot, and Western Depot battle and scheme against one another. A plot to depose the crown prince is quietly taking shape, and the Ming court and inner palace are about to face a catastrophe that will turn the world upside down.
