粉妝樓11-20回

A powerful minister fabricates treason charges against a prominent household, triggering imperial orders that lead to the arrest and slaughter of most family members; a loyal servant sacrifices herself in the palace to protect her charge. Two young scions escape separately: one sets out toward distant provinces, the other falls ill and is secretly sheltered by a retired gentry household whose daughter and servants conceal his identity while nursing him. Court allies quietly debate and plan as fugitives thread checkpoints and bounty notices, their flight and concealment laying the groundwork for later efforts to vindicate the family and rescue the captive patriarch.