Cao Yue is a young woman from the prominent Cao family in Jiangning during the Kangxi era. She has been reborn with memories of her previous life, where she ended up as a Manchu servant after being sent to the imperial palace. Determined to change her fate, she uses her beauty and talent to catch the attention of the emperor himself. The story begins with Cao Yue staying at her family's hot spring manor, where she plays the famous Jiaowei qin. Kangxi, traveling incognito during his southern tour, hears her music and discovers her in the peach grove. Their encounter is charged with mutual curiosity—Cao Yue recognizes him as her target while Kangxi is captivated by her rare beauty and aloof demeanor.
The Cao family has been preparing for this moment for years. Cao Yue's father, Cao Yin, serves as the Jiangning Weaving Commissioner and is deeply trusted by the emperor. Her grandmother, Sun Shi, was the current emperor's wet nurse and holds significant influence. The family's ultimate goal is to secure one of their own in the inner palace to ensure the Cao family's continued favor and power. Cao Yue's elder brother Cao Yin had previously groomed a cousin, Wang Shi, as a backup candidate, but Cao Yue's appearance has rendered that plan obsolete. Wang Shi, furious at being discarded, attempts to sabotage Cao Yue by seeking her help to return to the Cao residence, but Cao Yue has her sedated and confined.
Kangxi's interest in Cao Yue grows with each encounter. He plays the qin with her, noting her skill, and becomes increasingly frustrated by her deliberate distance and refusal to play the role of a grateful subject. When Cao Yin arrives to take Cao Yue back to the residence for the formal imperial audience scheduled for the next day, Kangxi insists that Cao Yue accompany them to the city, claiming she needs imperial medical attention. In the carriage, Cao Yue falls asleep from exhaustion, and Kangxi personally carries her into the residence, an act that sparks whispers among the servants.
The next morning, Kangxi conducts official business by the artificial lake and watches Cao Yue pass by without acknowledging him. At breakfast with her grandmother Sun Shi, Cao Yue learns that her mother is devastated by her decision to enter the palace. Sun Shi pleads with her to refuse, revealing that she entered the palace herself out of necessity and suffered greatly. Cao Yue responds that she went willingly, extinguishing her grandmother's hopes of intervention. Later, when Cao Yue encounters Kangxi on the path, she deliberately keeps her head lowered and speaks coldly, angering the emperor. Kangxi responds by sending a teaching mama to instruct her in proper palace etiquette, but Cao Yue makes the old woman wait outside for two ke while she continues playing the qin badly on purpose.
The story establishes Cao Yue as a woman who has chosen her path deliberately, aware that entering the palace means sacrificing her freedom and personal happiness for power and survival. She trusts neither the emperor nor her family's motives entirely, carrying the burden of her rebirth knowledge. Kangxi, meanwhile, is intrigued by a woman who does not fawn over him and is determined to break through her defenses. The narrative sets up a complex power dynamic between two intelligent, calculating individuals who must navigate the treacherous waters of imperial politics and harem intrigue.
