The series tells the story of Dayu'er, who is better known historically as Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. Born a Khorchin Mongol princess, she became a concubine of the Later Jin emperor Hong Taiji , even though her true love was actually Hongtaiji's 14th brother, Dorgon. She became empress dowager and grand empress dowager during the reigns of her son (Shunzhi Emperor) and grandson (Kangxi Emperor) respectively. Her political wisdom and insight helped to shape the history of the early Qing dynasty.