At the victory banquet celebrating the triumphant return of his general wife, Gu Zhaoning, Marquis Yong'an Zhao Boyong announces that he will marry his first love, Gu Yueru, as his equal wife, publicly humiliating Gu Zhaoning. Gu Zhaoning immediately demands a divorce. That very night, her daughter-in-law, Princess Kangning, enters the palace and informs her imperial father, who has long harbored feelings for Gu Zhaoning, of the matter. Under pressure, Zhao Boyong is forced to sign the divorce agreement, and Gu Zhaoning heads for the northern frontier. Zhao Boyong subsequently marries Gu Yueru as he wished, but she amasses wealth unscrupulously and commits numerous misdeeds. When their crimes are exposed, both are convicted. The emperor loves Gu Zhaoning but refuses to use imperial power to bind her. The two begin a long-distance romance, longing for each other across the miles.