KingdomDaxing
Daxing is the ruling kingdom in which the imperial succession struggle, noble-family conflicts, investigations, and frontier wars unfold. Its stability depends on balancing the Imperial Court with powerful military households and neighboring states.
CityCapital
The Capital is the political and social center of Daxing and the primary setting after Shen Xi He arrives from the Northwest. Royal relatives, noble families, officials, investigators, and foreign envoys compete for influence throughout the city.
PalaceImperial Palace
The Imperial Palace is the residence of Emperor You Ning and the center of royal administration, ceremony, marriage politics, and succession conflict. It contains the principal halls, gardens, consort residences, and offices used by the imperial household.
PalaceEastern Palace
The Eastern Palace is Xiao Hua Yong's residence and administrative center as Crown Prince. It conceals his true health, martial ability, intelligence network, and preparations against rival factions. After Shen Xi He becomes Crown Princess, it becomes the headquarters of their marriage and political alliance.
HomeDuke of Wei Manor
Duke of Wei Manor is the Shen family's Capital residence and the domestic center of Shen Xi He's new identity. She reclaims authority over the household, confronts its unequal treatment of Shen Ying Ruo, and protects it from political infiltration. It also serves as a meeting place for allies connected to the Northwest.
RealmNorthwest
The Northwest is the Shen family's military power base and one of Daxing's most strategically important frontier regions. Its armies and defensive authority make Shen Yue Shan and his heirs indispensable to the throne but also targets of imperial suspicion. The region becomes the principal battlefield during the late rebellion and foreign invasion.
CourtTaiji Hall
Taiji Hall is a principal imperial audience hall where Emperor You Ning receives officials and issues major decisions. Accusations, appointments, punishments, marriage petitions, military disputes, and succession matters are formally presented there.
PalacePalace of Compassion and Tranquility
The Palace of Compassion and Tranquility is Empress Dowager Meng's residence and the center of her authority as senior imperial matriarch. Royal relatives visit it for formal greetings, marriage discussions, and private counsel. Its peaceful public image conceals the grief and resentment behind her hidden campaign.
CourtCourt of Judicial Review
The Court of Judicial Review handles politically sensitive investigations, interrogations, detention, evidence review, and criminal prosecutions. Cui Jin Bai uses its authority to turn discoveries made by Shen Xi He and Xiao Hua Yong into formal cases.
OtherRoyal Hunting Grounds
The Royal Hunting Grounds host imperial hunts, poetry contests, courtship displays, banquets, and private political conversations. Shen Xi He and Xiao Hua Yong establish their marriage alliance there after he rescues her from a staged riding accident. A later autumn hunt becomes the setting for the abduction of Xiao Hua Yong and Prince Xin.
HideoutRoyal Hunting Grounds Mountain Cave
The Royal Hunting Grounds Mountain Cave is the concealed prison where Xiao Hua Yong and Prince Xin are held after masked attackers abduct them during the autumn hunt. Heavy stone doors and armed guards isolate the captives while Shen Xi He leads the search outside. The confinement forces the two royal rivals into temporary cooperation.
HomeMarquis of Shunan Manor
Marquis of Shunan Manor is Bu Shu Lin's Capital household and the public base of the presumed male heir of Shunan. Her servants, pregnancy, relationship with Cui Jin Bai, and use of Shen Shi Jiu as a double are managed through the manor. Rival spies watch the household for proof of her hidden identity.
RealmShunan
Shunan is the territory and military inheritance Bu Shu Lin protects by living publicly as a male heir. Control of its forces makes her identity a major issue in the imperial succession struggle. It later becomes the home and power base she shares with Cui Jin Bai.
HomeTao Manor
Tao Manor is the Capital residence of Shen Xi He's maternal family. It gives her a supportive family base outside Duke of Wei Manor and connects her to Tao Zhuan Xian's government influence. The household becomes an important ally after Tao Zhuan Xian's advancement within the central administration.
HospitalQishi Medical Hall
Qishi Medical Hall is the independent medical institution where Xie Yun Huai practices after separating himself from Duke of Xie Manor. It provides treatment and expertise concerning rare poisons, medicinal ingredients, and Xiao Hua Yong's condition. The hall allows the poisoning investigation to proceed outside direct palace control.
TempleFahua Temple
Fahua Temple is connected to incense production, private meetings, hidden evidence, and memories from the previous imperial generation. Shen Xi He follows the trail of a distinctive fragrance there while investigating political crimes. Objects associated with Prince Qian also connect the temple to Xiao Hua Yong's poisoning mystery.
HomeDuke of Xie Manor
Duke of Xie Manor is Xie Yun Huai's ancestral household and the center of his conflict with his father. Suspicious medicine purchases, unlawful detention, hidden passages, and evidence concerning the Duke of Ying are concealed within the estate. The investigation exposes the manor as an important link in the Crown Prince's poisoning case.
HideoutDuke of Xie Manor Secret Chamber
The Duke of Xie Manor Secret Chamber is a concealed detention space reached through hidden passages and a waterway exit. Xie Yun Huai and the gravely ill Duke of Ying are held there with politically dangerous evidence. Discovering the chamber exposes the crimes hidden behind the manor's noble status.
OtherGudu Garden
Gudu Garden shelters orphaned and impoverished children, including children of fallen soldiers. Missing funds intended for the garden expose corruption involving military pay and state resources. It later becomes endangered when conspirators attempt to destroy witnesses and evidence.
OtherHibiscus Garden
Hibiscus Garden hosts Consort Rong's flower-viewing banquet, which functions as a matchmaking event for imperial and noble families. Princess An Ling's interest in Bu Shu Lin creates danger for Bu Shu Lin's hidden identity there. Shen Xi He also publicly defends the sacrifices of the Northwest against insulting noblewomen.
PalaceImperial Garden
The Imperial Garden is a palace social space used for private conversations, chance encounters, courtship, and public displays among the royal family and noble guests. Romantic interests and political marriage possibilities become visible there. Its open setting contrasts with the concealed motives behind many interactions.
HomePrince Ding Manor
Prince Ding Manor is the marital and political household of Xiao Chang Tai and Li Yan Hui. Its domestic appearance conceals Li Yan Hui's loyalty to fallen Nanzhou and Xiao Chang Tai's increasing ambition. Their marriage, secret plans, and eventual break all develop through the manor.
HomePrince Kang Manor
Prince Kang Manor is the royal household where Yu Xiao Die lives under the title Consort Luo. Her access to the manor's private affairs allows her to gather evidence of Prince Kang's crimes while leaving her under his control. Shen Xi He arranges Yu Xiao Die's staged death and uses her evidence to expose the household.
OtherWancui Garden
Wancui Garden is the site of the Fourteenth Prince's birthday gathering and the staged drowning intended to expose Bu Shu Lin's gender. After rescuing the child, Bu Shu Lin is directed to a side room to change clothes while Prince Ning's faction arrives with witnesses. Shen Shi Jiu's impersonation allows the trap to fail.
OtherLingxiang County Post Station
Lingxiang County Post Station is where Shen Xi He is taken after being pushed into the water and rescued during her journey to the Capital. Gu Qing Zhi awakens there in Shen Xi He's body and begins adapting to her new identity. Xiao Hua Yong later arrives disguised as Hua Fuhai, beginning their strategic contest over the Immortal Vine.
OtherYunling Mountain
Yunling Mountain is visited during the Double Ninth Festival and becomes a setting for prayer, danger, and romantic pursuit. Shen Xi He travels there with her attendants and other noblewomen while rival factions continue watching her movements. The mountain illustrates how court conflict follows her beyond palace walls.
HideoutSecluded Suburban Courtyard
The Secluded Suburban Courtyard is a remote property outside the central Capital districts used for covert meetings and detention. Its isolation allows conspirators to hold targets without immediate interference from palace or judicial forces. It becomes important during the revenge operation connected to Li Yan Hui and Nanzhou.
RealmZenan District
Zenan District is the administrative region where officials conceal unlawful imprisonment, corruption, and illegal weapons production. Bu Shu Lin and Cui Jin Bai enter the area to investigate missing people and are captured. Shen Xi He later arrives with authority to force the regional government to answer for the crimes.
HideoutZenan Illegal Mining Cave
The Zenan Illegal Mining Cave is a concealed forced-labor and weapons-production site operated under corrupt regional officials. Bu Shu Lin and Cui Jin Bai are secretly transferred there after allowing themselves to be arrested. Their escape attempt and collected evidence expose the wider Zenan conspiracy.
OtherYanbo Pier
Yanbo Pier is where Bu Shu Lin is ambushed while traveling toward Shunan in women's clothing. After she and her guards defeat Prince Ning's assassins, Cui Jin Bai arrives and treats her injury. Bu Shu Lin reveals her pregnancy there, transforming their relationship and future plans.
RealmDaozhou
Daozhou is a flood-stricken region encountered while Shen Xi He, Xiao Hua Yong, and Prince Xin travel back toward the Capital. Tens of thousands of displaced residents face hunger, cold, and spreading illness. The three royal figures organize food distribution, shelter, medicine, and transport, demonstrating their different approaches to governance.
CityWudeng County
Wudeng County is a disaster-isolated county near the Daozhou flood zone. Destroyed roads prevent grain and medicine from reaching the population, placing the residents at risk of starvation. Xiao Hua Yong proposes an overhead cable system across a calm river branch to restore the relief route.
Military BaseNorthwest Military Camp
The Northwest Military Camp is the operational headquarters of the Shen family's frontier forces during the late rebellion and Le invasion. Shen Yue Shan's injuries, Shen Yun An's command responsibilities, Geng Liang Cheng's betrayal, and Xiao Hua Yong's decision to enter battle converge there. Shen Xi He also participates in strategy and defense from the camp.
CityTingzhou
Tingzhou is the Northwest battlefield reached after Le forces break through the regional defenses. Xiao Hua Yong leads the vanguard there, openly reveals his martial ability, and confronts the disguised Xiao Chang Tai. Prince Xin's reinforcements and Shen Xi He's intervention turn the battle against the rebels.
CityYunzhou City
Yunzhou City is the frontier city associated with Prince Qian's final military crisis. The failure or delay of imperial reinforcements there becomes the historical grievance behind Empress Dowager Meng's revenge. What happened at Yunzhou shapes Emperor You Ning's reign and Xiao Hua Yong's hidden parentage.
Military BaseAnlan
Anlan is a strategic military command associated with Xiao Chang Ying and his frontier responsibilities. Control of its army gives Prince Lie significant influence beyond the Capital and makes the Imperial Court cautious about his marriage and political prospects. He considers surrendering its command to prove his intentions toward Shen Xi He.
KingdomNanzhou
Nanzhou is Li Yan Hui's fallen homeland and the origin of her royal identity and revenge motive. Although its independent political power has been destroyed, surviving loyalties and grievances continue to influence events in Daxing. Li Yan Hui's inability to release Nanzhou's past contributes to the destruction of her marriage and political future.
KingdomLanhai Kingdom
Lanhai Kingdom is Princess Yao Xi's homeland and a smaller state seeking protection from political instability. Its ruler's illness and its young heir's vulnerability motivate Yao Xi to negotiate an imperial marriage in Daxing. The alliance eventually gives Shen Xi He diplomatic and military support during the final palace crisis.
