A Ling, the princess of the Yan Kingdom, is foretold by the Imperial Preceptor to be a threat to the destined heroine. To protect Shen Zhaoxue, Regent Xie Linyuan confines A Ling to the Cold Palace and personally forces her to drink poison. Three years later, he arrives with a bridal crown and wedding robes to bring her back, only to find her remains beneath a nameless tombstone, alongside the corpses of all seventy-three members of her royal family. As secret orders, poison, and forged military reports come to light, Xie Linyuan finally discovers that Shen Zhaoxue was the true mastermind, while A Ling had already died because of his indifference and terrible choices. After punishing the guilty, Xie Linyuan carries A Ling's ashes on foot back to the Yan Kingdom and guards her tomb for ten years, yet she never returns to him.