The Plum Blossom's Ashes

"My fate is to wait for death." Shen Wanmei, a fallen noblewoman, becomes a neglected concubine to the ruthless General Huo Linyuan, valued only for resembling his lost love. Enduring years of humiliation in the desolate Plum Blossom Courtyard, she's treated as a mere substitute. A desperate escape attempt with her childhood sweetheart is crushed by the General's cruel machinations, leading to further tragedy. Finding freedom only in death, Wanmei takes poison. Witnessing her final, perhaps mocking smile, Huo Linyuan is consumed by devastating regret, realizing too late the love he destroyed, condemning himself to a life haunted by her ashes.