Set in the fictional Eastern Liang dynasty, circus performer Ye Ningzhiβs troupe enters the palace and stages a performance to celebrate the empress dowagerβs birthday. The ambitious grand princess (emperorβs sister) decides to cause mischief by framing her for treason, though the heroine is saved by strategist Wei Guang, and falls in love at first sight with him.
When Ye Ningzhi enters the palace two years later as the empressβ maid, she stands up for her fellow servants, and refuses to sacrifice her conscience in the face of power. Ye Ningzhi also works together with Wei Guang to crush the grand princessβ plan to usurp the throne, and catches the eye of the emperor in the process.