Empress Lü Zhi
At the beginning of Western Han Dynasty, young YunXi and Shen'er fates intertwined as YunXi's mother, a palace maid of Consort Bo embroiled in the schemes of the then Empress Lü Zhi, who was very jealous of her mistress. To cover up a botched assassination of the young Liu Heng, Lü Zhi placed the blame on YunXi's mother and wanted her entire family executed. Consort Bo, knowing that her servant was innocent, plans for the poor maid's escape but the road that was supposed to lead them to freedom was surrounded by Lü Zhi's guards who were under the order to kill YunXi and her Mother. At the hour of peril, Shen'er's father futilely helped YunXi's mother to escape entrapment but they ultimately sacrificed themselves to save their children after being surrounded by the palace guards. YunXi and Shen'er became orphans and they became close as sisters, but were soon separated from each other as YunXi's uncle abandoned Shen'er on the streets at the suggestion of his wife. Lost in the streets, a brothel proprietor took Shen'er and groomed her to be a courtesan.