
Elizabeth Hamilton of Grandia was a queen unlike any other. While her husband, King Nicholas Elliott, had ruled, she fought alongside her father and brothers on the front lines, driving back the Hunnoria invaders. Tragedy struck three months ago when the King died unexpectedly. Now, the throne belongs to their young son, George Elliott, a child too small to rule. The Former Queen, Alexa Grant, is advanced in years and cannot govern. To make matters worse, the court is in chaos: there are no capable generals left, and even the Prime Minister has taken up arms in rebellion.

The episode opens with Empress Wu Zhao being told the cruel truth by her husband, Emperor Zhao Kong: Zhao Kong, fearing the Wu family's military power and Wu Zhao's talent, faked his death to lure the Wu family army into a desperate fight. He confesses he never loved her and even withheld military pay, causing the Wu family army to starve. Zhao Kong and his favored concubine Ye Xiaoxiao trap Wu Zhao in a sea of fire, and Wu Zhao dies with hatred in her heart amidst her brother Wu Jingyuan's grief. However, Wu Zhao is reborn to the day Zhao Kong faked his death. With the memories and hatred of her past life, she is determined to turn the couple's fake death into a real one, embarking on a path of revenge.

Empress Wu Zhao, reborn, foils the imperial physician's attempt to bury Emperor Zhao Kong in his mourning hall. Wu Zhao knows Zhao Kong faked his death to escape war, with the physician as his accomplice. By feigning grief and slapping the "corpse" repeatedly, she lists Zhao Kong's crimes, successfully provoking the physician to reveal a flaw by saying, "His Majesty will feel pain." Wu Zhao immediately seizes this, exposes the lie, and orders him to be beaten to death. Just as Wu Zhao prepares to settle scores with the feigning Zhao Kong, his mistress Ye Xiaoxiao arrives and stops her.

Elizabeth Hamilton of Grandia was a queen unlike any other. While her husband, King Nicholas Elliott, had ruled, she fought alongside her father and brothers on the front lines, driving back the Hunnoria invaders. Tragedy struck three months ago when the King died unexpectedly. Now, the throne belongs to their young son, George Elliott, a child too small to rule. The Former Queen, Alexa Grant, is advanced in years and cannot govern. To make matters worse, the court is in chaos: there are no capable generals left, and even the Prime Minister has taken up arms in rebellion.

The episode opens at its peak: Empress Wu Zhao, after Emperor Zhao Kong's death, intends to behead him as a sacrifice to heaven, hoping to salvage her reign marked by widespread public discontent and internal and external crises. This act is fiercely opposed by the Emperor's birth mother, the Empress Dowager, and his favorite concubine, Ye Xiaoxiao. Ye Xiaoxiao seizes the opportunity to sow discord, accusing Wu Zhao of extreme disrespect. Wu Zhao retaliates forcefully, revealing that the Emperor died from excessive indulgence with Ye Xiaoxiao. In her confrontation with the Empress Dowager, Wu Zhao's inner monologue discloses her secret rebirth: in her previous life, she was killed by the combined forces of the Empress Dowager and Ye Xiaoxiao, and she has returned in this life solely for revenge. Just as Wu Zhao is determined to proceed with the beheading, she is interrupted by a cry of "Wait," leaving the audience in suspense.

The emperor Zhao Kong has just passed away, and the Empress Dowager and Concubine Ye Shu have jointly assumed regency, intending to pressure Empress Wu Zhao regarding the disposal of the imperial body. However, the mysterious regent reveals Wu Zhao's secret of rebirth, "phoenix nirvana," to her astonishment. When the regent proposes the shocking suggestion of cremating the imperial body, citing celestial phenomena, Wu Zhao seizes the opportunity to counterattack. She uses the regent's authority to suppress the Empress Dowager, decisively ordering the cremation of the imperial body and gaining complete control of the situation, demonstrating her extraordinary strategy and courage.

This episode focuses on the fierce conflict over the disposal of the late Emperor Zhao Kong's body. Empress Wu Zhao advocates for cremating the royal body to prevent plague and benefit the people, while the Empress Dowager, citing maternal affection, insists the Emperor must be buried whole in the imperial mausoleum. Under Wu Zhao's relentless pressure, the Empress Dowager outwardly compromises but proposes a stratagem: first send the body to the mausoleum, then cremate it at midnight. Wu Zhao immediately sees through her "golden cicada shedding its shell" scheme. Just as the two sides confront each other and the Empress Dowager forcefully orders the relocation of the remains, the young General Wu Jingyuan arrives with his troops, instantly escalating the situation to a tense standoff.

Elizabeth Hamilton of Grandia was a queen unlike any other. While her husband, King Nicholas Elliott, had ruled, she fought alongside her father and brothers on the front lines, driving back the Hunnoria invaders. Tragedy struck three months ago when the King died unexpectedly. Now, the throne belongs to their young son, George Elliott, a child too small to rule. The Former Queen, Alexa Grant, is advanced in years and cannot govern. To make matters worse, the court is in chaos: there are no capable generals left, and even the Prime Minister has taken up arms in rebellion.

Elizabeth Hamilton of Grandia was a queen unlike any other. While her husband, King Nicholas Elliott, had ruled, she fought alongside her father and brothers on the front lines, driving back the Hunnoria invaders. Tragedy struck three months ago when the King died unexpectedly. Now, the throne belongs to their young son, George Elliott, a child too small to rule. The Former Queen, Alexa Grant, is advanced in years and cannot govern. To make matters worse, the court is in chaos: there are no capable generals left, and even the Prime Minister has taken up arms in rebellion.

Elizabeth Hamilton of Grandia was a queen unlike any other. While her husband, King Nicholas Elliott, had ruled, she fought alongside her father and brothers on the front lines, driving back the Hunnoria invaders. Tragedy struck three months ago when the King died unexpectedly. Now, the throne belongs to their young son, George Elliott, a child too small to rule. The Former Queen, Alexa Grant, is advanced in years and cannot govern. To make matters worse, the court is in chaos: there are no capable generals left, and even the Prime Minister has taken up arms in rebellion.

Elizabeth Hamilton of Grandia was a queen unlike any other. While her husband, King Nicholas Elliott, had ruled, she fought alongside her father and brothers on the front lines, driving back the Hunnoria invaders. Tragedy struck three months ago when the King died unexpectedly. Now, the throne belongs to their young son, George Elliott, a child too small to rule. The Former Queen, Alexa Grant, is advanced in years and cannot govern. To make matters worse, the court is in chaos: there are no capable generals left, and even the Prime Minister has taken up arms in rebellion.