General Duan Qingfeng, still wearing his bloodstained armor, storms into the imperial court carrying a heavy black coffin and demands that Emperor Gu Rongzhan reinvestigate the death of his sister, Consort Ying, who died in the palace while pregnant. The emperor coldly refuses, insisting she died of illness, and a tense confrontation erupts. Suddenly, an infant’s cry echoes from the coffin. The coffin is opened, and a live baby girl is found lying between the legs of the deceased consort. The emperor seizes the child, naming her Gu Zhaozhao, and uses her to threaten the Duan family into submission. Born in a coffin, Gu Zhaozhao possesses an innate ability to see and exorcise spirits, a remnant of her past life as a powerful celestial master. Three and a half years pass. Zhaozhao lives in neglect in Qianxi Si Suo with her loyal caretaker, eunuch Ji Yanhai. The emperor, Gu Rongzhan, is a cold and paranoid ruler plagued by violent headaches caused by malevolent infant spirits he had murdered. Consort Li, a favored consort, despises Zhaozhao due to her Duan family blood. One day, Consort Li’s nephew Xie Mingluo visits and bullies Zhaozhao, calling her a coffin baby and claiming impunity. Zhaozhao defends herself, and Xie Mingluo falls. Consort Li uses this to have Ji Yanhai arrested and sent to the Department of Punishment, a place from which few return. Determined to save her only protector, Zhaozhao sneaks to the Hall of Mental Cultivation at night. She finds the emperor tormented by five infant spirits draining his energy. Using talismans hidden on her person, she exorcises the spirits, revealing her supernatural abilities. The emperor, freed from pain, is astonished. Zhaozhao identifies herself as his daughter and claims she is a lucky star sent to protect him. Impressed, he rewards her by moving her to the luxurious Ninglu Pavilion and, at her request, orders the release of Ji Yanhai. The next morning, Consort Li confronts Zhaozhao in front of the emperor, accusing her of assault. Zhaozhao exposes the truth that Xie Mingluo provoked her and threatened her life, using his connection to Consort Li. The emperor, now aware of Zhaozhao’s value, dismisses Consort Li’s accusations. Zhaozhao continues to navigate the treacherous palace, using her wits and spiritual powers to protect herself and those she cares about. Her goal is to survive and forge a place for herself and the Duan family in the empire. The story follows her growth as she faces enemies both living and dead, including the lingering spirits that haunt the palace and the machinations of Consort Li and other factions, while gradually building a bond with her father through her unique abilities.
