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.

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.

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.