After Mistakenly Flirting with the Ruthless and Tyrannical Minister

Yuan Mingxia is the Ninth Princess of the imperial palace, a child born to a low-ranking consort who was sent to a nunnery after the late emperor's death. Unloved and neglected, she lives in the secluded Tinghe Courtyard with meager provisions, enduring the disdain of palace staff and the indifference of the court. Her only companion is a lifelike cloth doll named Xia Xia, which possesses the ability to speak exclusively to her. Driven by a recurring nightmare in which she is hunted and killed in the snow, and motivated by a desperate desire to leave the dangerous palace to visit her mother, Yuan Mingxia decides to select a consort for herself. She attends a flower-viewing banquet in secret, observing the noble young men while hiding behind a tree.

The banquet is interrupted by Pei Yuan, a powerful and feared young official known for his ruthlessness and cold demeanor. He publicly arrests Ji Yan, the Vice Minister of Works and the consort chosen by Consort Dowager Jiang for the Eighth Princess, on charges of embezzlement and negligence regarding a canal disaster. During the arrest, Pei Yuan breaks Ji Yan's jaw with his bare hands and briefly glances toward the tree where Yuan Mingxia is hiding, sensing a presence but unable to identify it. Later, in the inner prison, Pei Yuan interrogates Ji Yan while being haunted by visions of a shadowy figure that appears and disappears, a phenomenon he has experienced since a strange dream ten days prior.

Five days later, on the Summer Solstice, Yuan Mingxia attends another banquet to find her chosen suitor, Second Young Master Zheng. She waits for him to become intoxicated and retreat to a side room, intending to confess her feelings and propose marriage. However, she mistakenly enters the room occupied by Pei Yuan, who had been resting there after drinking. Zheng Chang is found dead on the floor, having accidentally consumed poisoned tea intended for Pei Yuan, a plot orchestrated by Consort Dowager Jiang to assassinate the official. Yuan Mingxia, terrified, is discovered by Pei Yuan. Instead of killing her, he threatens to expose her presence unless she agrees to his terms.

Pei Yuan reveals that he has been investigating the shadowy figure and suspects a connection to Yuan Mingxia, as the figure appeared near her during previous encounters. He demands that she share his bed for the night to help alleviate his nightmares, using her doll Xia Xia as leverage. Reluctantly, Yuan Mingxia agrees, fearing that refusal would lead to her death or public scandal. They spend the night in her small chamber, where Pei Yuan observes her frailty and timid nature. The following morning, he departs, leaving Yuan Mingxia alive but bound to him by secrecy. Meanwhile, Consort Dowager Jiang learns of a woman in the room with Pei Yuan and begins her own investigation, setting the stage for further political intrigue and danger within the palace.