The Raven Consort is a special consort who does not perform nighttime duties. Though she accepts all requests including death curses, exorcisms, and finding lost items, it is said that misfortune befalls those who meet her. Despite living in the inner palace, she is a mysterious entity nobody knows much about. The emperor Xia Gaojun enters Ye Ming Palace where the Raven Consort resides. There he encounters Liu Shouxue, a beautiful young girl dressed all in black.
At Gaojun's request, Shouxue investigates the ghost possessing the jade earring. The owner of the earring was Ban Yingnü. Ten years ago, she was suspected of poisoning the Third Consort and hanged herself. In order to discover the truth about her death, Shouxue heads to the wash house with her lady-in-waiting Jiu-Jiu where Ban Yingnü's personal attendant Su Hongqiao resides. However, Su Hongqiao is unable to speak to them as her tongue has been cut out.
Huaniang, the high-ranking inner palace consort who lives at Yuanqian Palace, comes to Ye Ming Palace. She wants to know why her flower whistle will not blow. Flower whistles are hung from the eaves of buildings at the end of winter to mourn those who passed away the previous year. Allegedly the dead return on winds announcing the coming of spring to blow the whistles. Huaniang is concerned that her whistle has not blown since she lost her lover Ou Xuanyou. Shouxue complies with her request and attempts to summon the soul of Ou Xuanyou so she can speak to him.
Two ghosts from Gaoujun's past continue to haunt him, as Shouxue and the eunuch Wei Qing investigate the cause. The answer may lie in the depths of the red-light district...
Yi Siha, a eunuch serving Feiyan Palace, visits Ye Ming Palace. He has seen the ghost of a boy holding a blue swallow feather and asks Shouxue to help him. During her investigation, Shouxue comes across Yi Siha being caned by some older eunuchs. When she stops the punishment, Yi Siha's mentor Kang Lan trembles with fear. In Shouxue's eyes he saw a horrifying monster.
Court lady An Huilan comes to make a request. She claims she can hear the voice of a dead consort coming from within the water. Xi Wanlin, the Magpie Consort during Yandi's reign, drowned herself in the lake on the day the emperor was to visit her. The voice within the water is allegedly hers. Huilan asks Shouxue to save Wanlin, but Shouxue realizes there is more to the story than what Huilan is telling her.
Gaojun uncharacteristically appears lonely. Though Shouxue is concerned, she is unable to ask why. Several days later, Gaojun visits Ye Ming Palace to show her a haunted mask. The ghost haunting the mask apparently responds to a type of foreign lute. The problem is solved when Gaojun is able to provide such a lute. Gaojun tries to leave, but he is stopped by Shouxue.
After confronting the Magpie Consort, Shouxue and Gaojun discover the shocking reason behind the mysterious events. Shouxue then learns of her relationship to the Owl through Niao Lian.
