After 321 members of her clan are framed and slaughtered, Su Weishuang narrowly escapes death and enters the palace disguised as a laundry maid under an assumed name. Upon arrival, she is slapped and humiliated by Consort Li, enduring contempt at every turn. Uninterested in the emperor's favor, she conceals irrefutable evidence of military weapons left by her father and patiently lays her plans. When Noble Consort Li frames her, she strikes back on the spot; when the Empress Dowager sets a trap, she outwits her; when Prince Jing schemes against her, she exposes his disguise. As deadly plots spread through the harem and political undercurrents surge through the court, she forms a life-and-death alliance with the young emperor, a puppet ruler. Su Weishuang is promoted to Noble Consort Shen and brings bloodstained evidence before the emperor in the Golden Hall, overturning a military coup plotted by the imperial relatives and a prince and clearing her entire family of its wrongful accusations. In the deep palace, no favor is bestowed by heaven; only by mastering the game of chess can one rise again through bloodshed. The ending is heartwarming and contains no harmful guidance.