Xie Zhixu, the eldest princess of Dayong, and her consort, Pei Pingjin, were a married couple in name only, outwardly harmonious but inwardly estranged. They lived separately in their respective residences and kept out of each other's affairs. But after Pei Pingjin's arrogant and overbearing cousin, Lu Qingshuang, arrived in the capital, she repeatedly provoked trouble, pushing the princess further and further under the protection of the princess's consort. She even broke into the princess's study and set it on fire, then maliciously accused the princess of secretly keeping portraits of other men. Having reached the limit of her patience, Xie Zhixu drew her sword in public and killed Lu Qingshuang on the spot. Carefully maneuvering at every turn, she exposed the pair's secret affair and their conspiracy to covet confidential court affairs, and resolutely demanded a divorce. Beneath the turbulent currents of the imperial court and inner palace, the Empress Dowager applied pressure and the emperor schemed, while the general who had been her childhood sweetheart gradually drifted away from her because of past grievances.