Zhao Hai is a professional painter, but he has hit a creative bottleneck. He hasn't drawn for a long time because he lacks inspiration. Later, he meets a female model named Xiaoling by coincidence. Zhao is preparing to draw a set of works based on Xiaoling, but he keeps procrastinating because he doesn't know where to start. Xiaoling is a nurse, and modelling is just a side job. She has a rich imagination and enjoys dancing in her spare time. She is able to improvise dance based on her daily life experiences. In order to help Zhao find inspiration, Xiaoling tells him stories from her own imagination. After listening to her stories and watching her dance, Zhao finds his creative direction and finally begins to paint.

In the late Qing Dynasty, in Yongchang Prefecture of Guandong, Prefect Jia Zhengdao—a jinshi degree holder who placed second in the imperial examinations—governs one prefecture and six counties with the help of his trusted aide Wu Shiye, fellow officials, and influential merchants and gentry. The arrival of a secret dispatch from the Grand Council throws the administration into chaos: the imperial court is covertly sending an “Eight-Prefecture Imperial Inspector” to investigate corruption. At the same time, an urgent order from the Ministry of Justice demands the capture of a fugitive fraud ring.