Qiao Shuying stood by Li Yan as he rose from the depths of despair to ascend the imperial throne. He promised her that the six palaces would remain empty for her sake. But when her scheming cousin, Qiao Wanhe, entered the palace and seduced him, every promise he had made was cast aside, and he insisted on granting her the title of Noble Consort. After seven years of devotion, Qiao Shuying's heart finally turned cold. No longer willing to cling to a broken relationship, she carefully devised a plan, using a palace fire to fake her own death by burning. She cast off her phoenix crown and sailed to Gusu, where she would live in seclusion. The emperor eventually came to his senses and severely punished the villains, but the woman he had lost would never return. All she wanted now was to spend the rest of her life free and unbound.