Episode 1 recap: The Concubine Consort.
For thousands of years, the Xuankun Continent has been divided and ruled by five tribes - the Human Tribe, the Huan Tribe, the Snow Tribe, the Fire Tribe, and the mysterious Spirit Tribe. Six years ago, the Human Tribe's large army nearly annihilated the other four tribes, establishing the supremacy of the Human Tribe. Amidst the chaos of war, the Princess of the Spirit Tribe, Shuo Ye, narrowly escaped with her life, her whereabouts unknown.
In the palace of the Human Tribe, as the snow falls heavily, a woman is being severely whipped. She is beaten down to the ground, her face covered in wounds, yet her gaze remains sharp. Standing beside her, the Beautiful Lady Anbei ruthlessly lashes her with the whip, as the woman can only beg for mercy while pressed to the ground.
At this moment, the Emperor's palanquin arrives. In the deep palace, the servants are like ants. The Emperor's palanquin stops in front of the servant. Since she is a lowly servant, there is no need to dirty Lady Anbei's hands. With these words, he leaves.
The servant, though an ant, will find her own way to survive. In truth, the servant is the Princess of the Spirit Tribe, Shuo Ye, now called Ling Zhi. Ling Zhi has a magical art that can heal her wounds. She has disguised herself as a servant to infiltrate the Human Tribe's palace in order to rescue her family.
Late at night, a matron comes with a maid to harass Ling Zhi in the servant's quarters, since she has offended Lady Anbei, her days will not be easy. Yet, Ling Zhi has never admitted defeat. The matron tells her that she must not make any mistakes tomorrow, as Ling Zhi plans to seize the opportunity of the Imperial Concubine Selection to gain the Emperor's favor.
The Selection begins, and Ling Zhi, as a serving maid, attends to the candidates. The Emperor, Mu Xuan Jue, also glances at her. The Empress Dowager arrives, finding the candidates unimpressive. Ling Zhi knows the Empress Dowager loves flowers, so she uses her magic to summon flower petals to cover herself. The Empress Dowager is delighted and has Ling Zhi remain to be selected.
That night, the Empress Dowager intends to have Ling Zhi serve the Emperor. Everyone is shocked, as Ling Zhi sees this as a chance to get closer to the Emperor and find her family. However, when Ling Zhi arrives at the bedchamber, the Emperor simply grants her a day of rest, much to her surprise.
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