S1, E2: Jiang Xue Ning's unrelenting desire to become empress eventually strains her bond with her childhood friend Yan Lin and leads to the arrest of the noble Official Zhang Zhe. Guilt and remorse begin to seep in when her short-lived reign as the empress comes to an end. With the help of Yan Lin as the general, rebels seize the capital and ruthlessly exterminate the entire royal family.