Denghuangtai

Pei Qingyan's mother died early, and he and his father and elder brother depended on each other for survival from a young age. When he was five, his father was appointed Grand Marshal and married Princess Huaiyang. Thanks to the princess, Pei Qingyan began to frequent the palace and became close friends with Yun Zheng, the empress's nephew. The two grew up together as childhood sweethearts, considered a golden couple by many. It seemed they would eventually marry, but in the sixteenth year of the Jianyuan era, during the Northern Expedition, Pei Qingyan's father, Pei Xuan, executed Yun Zheng's father, Yun Heng, according to military law. A life was now separated Pei Qingyan and Yun Zheng. Their relationship was also suppressed and opposed by Empress Yun. Pei Qingyan was summoned to the palace by Empress Yun for a reprimand. Empress Yun clearly told Pei Qingyan that the Yun family would never agree to his marriage to Yun Zheng, and that she would choose another noblewoman for Yun Zheng. Under Yun Hou's scheme, Pei Qingyan mistakenly believed that Yun Zheng also harbored deep hatred for her (but in reality, Yun Zheng never held a grudge against Pei Qingyan). She even witnessed Yun Zheng's secret meeting with Princess Yongchang (also part of Yun Hou's scheme). Before Pei Qingyan could recover from the betrayal of her lover, news arrived from the front lines that General Pei Xuan had gone missing, plunging the region into crisis. Anxious to find her father, Pei Qingyan went to the palace to request permission to lead 5,000 cavalry to the north to provide support. She decisively defeated the enemy army at Yanran Mountain, and father and daughter were reunited.

The Battle of Yanran Mountain brought Pei Qingyan great fame, and she continued to achieve remarkable feats during the subsequent Northern Expeditions. A year later, the army returned to the capital in triumph, and Pei Qingyan was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Yin'an, becoming one of the few female marquises in the court. Due to a lack of generals to guard the border, Pei Qingyan volunteered to serve on the frontier, remaining in the newly built Shuofang City to guard the border.

Five years later, in the twenty-first year of the Jianyuan era, the Xiongnu invaded south again, besieging Shuofang. Pei Xuan led troops to reinforce the city, but was ambushed in Linhe County, suffering a crushing defeat. Pei Qingyan's father and brothers perished in the battle. At that time, the emperor in the capital died, and a new emperor ascended the throne. Empress Dowager Yun held power. Empress Dowager Yun harbored resentment over the past and was determined to pin the blame for the defeat on the Pei family. However, by this time, the Pei family, except for Pei Qingyan and Princess Huaiyang who had not fought, had all died in battle. Therefore, Empress Dowager Yun ordered the arrest of Pei Qingyan, the defeated general, and brought him back to the capital.

Pei Qingyan and Yun Zheng reunite in prison. In the past, one was full of vigor and the other was proud and aloof. Now, Yun Zheng has become a corrupt and ruthless official, while Pei Qingyan has become a criminal in chains.

Pei Qingyan remained relatively calm, but Yun Zheng, who was in charge of interrogating her, was furious to see that Pei Qingyan had been arrested and brought back to the capital severely injured, and that her injuries had not been properly treated. However, because there were Empress Dowager Yun's spies all around him, Yun Zheng could only watch helplessly as Pei Qingyan remained seriously injured in prison, secretly trying to find a way to help Pei Qingyan get off the hook.

While imprisoned, Pei Qingyan wasn't truly at the mercy of others. Her return to the capital stemmed from a traitor within the army during the Battle of Linhe. Someone had revealed the army's location to the enemy, leading to Pei Xuan and his men being surrounded and 30,000 soldiers perishing. Although Pei Qingyan had apprehended the traitor, she hadn't yet uncovered the mastermind behind it when the traitor was silenced. Left with no other option, she returned to the capital to thoroughly investigate and find the mastermind behind it all, seeking revenge for her father, brothers, and the 30,000 soldiers.

Pei Qingyan was imprisoned, while outside, the Pei family affair sparked fierce debate both in the court and among the common people. The two factions, demanding punishment and pleading for leniency for the Pei family, argued endlessly. Ultimately, with the support of Prince Yan and others, Pei Qingyan was spared the death penalty but imprisoned in the outskirts of the capital, with Empress Dowager Yuan ordering Yun Zheng to guard him. Empress Dowager Yun's intention was for Yun Zheng to secretly torture Pei Qingyan to avenge his father. However, she was unaware that Yun Zheng had little affection for his father, Yun Heng. Years ago, Yun Heng had favored a concubine over his wife, and Yun Zheng's mother had been tortured to death. Although Yun Zheng was young, this incident remained etched in his heart. Even after being raised in the palace by Empress Dowager Yun, he never forgot the hatred for his mother's murder. Even if Yun Heng wasn't punished by military law, Yun Zheng would eventually plot revenge when he grew up. Therefore, the feud between Yun Zheng and Pei Qingyan over their fathers' deaths was nonexistent.

During Pei Qingyan's detention, Yun Zheng secretly helped her find medical treatment and medicine. When Pei Qingyan secretly contacted her old subordinates, Yun Zheng covered for her.

Three years later, in the third year of the Jin Kang era, the young emperor grew older and began to rule in his own right. His political views clashed with those of Empress Dowager Yun, and a rift began to develop between them. To prevent Empress Dowager Yun from harming him, the young emperor released Pei Qingyan from the outskirts of the capital, restored his title, and promoted him to General of the Cavalry. However, the imperial guards' command remained in Empress Dowager Yun's hands. Unprepared for unforeseen circumstances, the young emperor, under the pretext of keeping vigil for the late emperor, ordered the recruitment of laborers from various prefectures and kingdoms, and secretly commanded Pei Qingyan to train the troops.

During her three years of imprisonment, Pei Qingyan meticulously investigated and eventually discovered that Empress Dowager Yun was the mastermind behind the leak of military intelligence. (Pei Qingyan had initially suspected this, but felt that Empress Dowager Yun wouldn't be so insane as to disregard the fate of the Great Zhao Dynasty and insist on revenge. Therefore, she devoted considerable effort to the investigation.) After uncovering the truth, Pei Qingyan resolved to support the young emperor and bring Empress Dowager Yun to justice.

In the court, the mother and son, one supporting powerful and influential families, and the other supporting those from humble backgrounds, were locked in a fierce rivalry. Yun Zheng, as Grand Minister of Works, led his high-ranking officials in suppressing the emperor's favored officials from lesser-known families. Pei Qingyan, however, held the highest position among these officials, leading to a direct confrontation between the two. Pei Qingyan, in particular, showed no mercy in her attempts to sabotage Yun Zheng, thwarting many of his plans.

However, amidst the factional strife, policies were difficult to implement, and the people suffered greatly, becoming displaced and homeless. Pei Qingyan, seeing the people's suffering, remembered that her father, Pei Xuan, had named her "Qingyan" in the hope of peace and tranquility. She knew that this situation was something her father would never have wanted to see.