Ying Xu is the Empress of the Great Qi Dynasty, born into the prestigious Ying military family and raised with unparalleled privilege by the late emperor, who treated her as his own daughter. Her childhood friend, Xie Jingchen, the Eleventh Prince and later the King of Mobei, loved her deeply and served as her most obedient follower, enduring her temper without complaint. However, when the late emperor died and his Sixth Son ascended the throne as Emperor Xie Liu, Ying Xu married the new emperor after he promised lifelong monogamy. Four years into the marriage, the relationship has deteriorated. The emperor, who once doted on Ying Xu, has become obsessed with a low-ranking palace maid named Yun Wan. In a fit of rage after the emperor attempts to force himself on her while she mourns her missing brother, Ying Xu slaps the emperor, sparking a cold war between them.
Meanwhile, Xie Jingchen, who had been exiled to the northwest, awakens after a high fever to discover he has been reborn two years into the past. In his previous life, he learned that the emperor had Yun Wan execute Ying Xu and cast her into the cold palace, leading to her tragic death. Driven by obsession and guilt, Xie Jingchen decides to raise an army and march on the capital to overthrow the emperor and protect Ying Xu, whom he believes is still alive in this timeline. He views the current emperor as a threat and resolves to kill him, seeing no other way to ensure Ying Xu’s safety and happiness.
Ying Xu, unaware of Xie Jingchen’s return, is visited by a system that reveals she is a character in a novel. She is the villainous female supporting character destined to be abandoned by the emperor and die tragically, while the emperor and the palace maid Yun Wan, the true female lead, will live happily ever after. The system offers to help her change her fate and become the female lead, but Ying Xu rejects the notion of sharing the emperor’s affection, viewing him as dirty and unworthy. Instead, she demands the execution of Yun Wan.
As Xie Jingchen’s forces approach Jinling City, the emperor, fearing rebellion, tries to maintain control but is increasingly erratic. Ying Xu, enraged by the emperor’s betrayal and the system’s revelations, orders Yun Wan’s execution. When the emperor intervenes to protect Yun Wan, Xie Jingchen arrives at Weiyang Palace, having breached the palace with his army. He dismisses the emperor’s authority and prepares to execute both the emperor and Yun Wan. Ying Xu, seeing Xie Jingchen, commands him to spare the emperor temporarily, though she still desires his death. Xie Jingchen, overjoyed to see her alive and giving him orders, complies but remains hostile toward the emperor and Yun Wan. The story culminates in a tense standoff, with Xie Jingchen’s rebellion threatening the throne and Ying Xu’s defiance challenging both the emperor and the narrative fate imposed upon her.
