Jiang Xue Ning's unrelenting desire to become empress eventually strains her bond with her childhood friend Yan Lin and leads to the arrest of the noble Official Zhang Zhe. Guilt and remorse begin to seep in when her short-lived reign as the empress comes to an end. With the help of Yan Lin as the general, rebels seize the capital and ruthlessly exterminate the entire royal family. In her last desperate act, Jiang Xue Ning pleads to exchange her life for the freedom of Zhang Zhe, a man who has always shown her kindness. As fate takes an unexpected turn, Jiang Xue Ning awakens in the body of her 18-year-old self, who has yet to enter the palace. Given another chance at life, she vows to live differently beyond the palace walls. Yet fate would not let her escape. She becomes entangled in the palace intrigues once again as Princess Le Yang’s study companion and disciple of Xie Wei, the well-respected imperial teacher and emperor’s advisor, who also happens to be the mastermind behind the heinous rebellion that leads to her demise.