A gravely ill empress summons her long-lost daughter, hidden for years as a poor scholar's devoted wife. After enduring betrayal—her husband falsely accuses her to climb the social ladder with a governor's daughter—she faces ruin. But as conspirators close in, her true identity is revealed. A loyal guardian sacrifices himself to protect her until the empress's forces arrive, exposing the truth and punishing the wicked. At her guardian's funeral, she ascends the throne, severing ties with her ungrateful husband forever. She rises from discarded wife to empress.