Pei Yaoguang, a military family's daughter from the northern frontier, defeats Northern Liang with an unconventional, utterly ruthless stratagem. Her fearsome reputation leads the enemy kingdom to demand that she be expelled from the army. By a twist of fate, she is betrothed to Crown Prince Jun Zhixing, and the newlyweds initially get along like sworn brothers. Though Yaoguang appears rough and forthright, she is actually full of ingenious schemes. She fights back against powerful nobles through public opinion, forces a neighboring kingdom to fund dam repairs through threats, cleverly solves an imperial envoy's murder with the help of local powerful clans, calmly defuses a scandal involving the crown prince's former love, and punishes unscrupulous merchants hoarding medicine. Jun Zhixing gradually moves from shock and helplessness to admiration and trust, eventually falling deeply in love with her. Ten years later, he ascends the throne and Yaoguang becomes empress. They have a happy family with children, but their young crown prince proves even more cunning than his mother, finally making her experience the consequences of her own behavior.