順治親政，查證攝政王生前謀反之事，母后玉兒痛苦地陷入回憶…… 　　滿蒙聯姻，玉兒被祖父（科爾沁旗族長）許嫁滿州，與前來迎接、年貌相當的多爾袞兩情相悅；然而努爾哈赤大汗病亡，皇太極奪得汗位，強迫多爾袞之母以弓弦自縊殉葬，並強行迎娶玉兒。 　　多爾袞忍辱成長，得兄長皇太極信任，領兩白旗征戰，奪元朝玉璽奉獻皇太極，皇太極因此稱帝，卻命玉兒以美色勸降明朝大將洪承疇，玉兒委屈，但也因此走上參政之路。 　　皇太極暴卒，多爾袞原以為可以奪回帝位，不料皇太極長子豪格率領兩黃旗包圍皇宮，與多爾袞所領的兩白旗相持不下，情勢兇險，玉兒在兩大勢力夾縫中迂迴主張立自己兒子、六歲的福臨登基，得多爾袞支持，宣誓效忠，是為順治帝。 　　多爾袞破山海關，迎玉兒、順治進京，由攝政王晉封「皇叔父攝政王」，更逼死豪格，集天下大權於一身，卻始終情繫玉兒；順治皇權危如累卵，玉兒為護衛福臨，對多爾袞虛與委蛇，然而兩人皆胸懷天下，相知相惜，內外相濟，其實情意調和。 　　多爾袞喪妻喪弟，竟將靈堂翻為喜堂，欲強娶玉兒，洪承疇以漢人禮教之說勸多爾袞不可強娶太后，多爾袞知事不可為，又得知太后封其為「皇父攝政王」，幾經思量，體認太后竟是視他為馴養以奪天下的蒼鷹，為之氣結，縱馬出京，墜鐙而死！ 　　順治清算多爾袞，掘其墓、鞭其屍、斬其頭骨，玉兒雖然心情沉痛，然而為了大清政局，只能任其所為……
When Emperor Shunzhi takes over the reins, he starts to investigate the regent’s conspiracy against the state. Queen Mother Yu-er is forced into remembering the painful past... 　　As Manchuria and Mongolia tried to make peace through marriage, Yu-er was forced to marry the crown prince of Manchuria by her grandfather (the Chief of the Khorchin Mongols). She fell in love with Dorgon, a handsome young man and an envoy who came to Mongolia to escort the bride back to Manchuria. When Nurhaci Khan died of an illness, Huangtaiji, Dorgon’s half-brother, succeeded their father and forced Dorgon’s mother to hang herself with a bow string before taking Yu-er as his wife. 　　Dorgon suffered all kinds of disgrace and insults to gain the trust of Huangtaiji and was ordered to go on an expedition with the Royal Troops of the Plain and the Bordered White Banners. He soon conquered the Mongols and brought the jade seal of the Yuan Dynasty back to Huangtaiji who was then enthroned as Emperor of the Qing. However, Huangtaiji ordered Yu-er to seduce Hong Cheng-chou, the chief Ming commander, and persuaded him to surrender to the Qing. Though Yu-er felt wronged, she started to participate in politics. 　　When Huangtaiji died unexpectedly, Dorgon thought he could be enthroned as the emperor. But Hau-ge, the eldest son of Huangtaiji, besieged the palace court with the troops of the Plain and the Bordered Banners to fight against the troops of the two White Banners led by Dorgon. In such a critical state, Yu-er asserted herself between the two powerful forces by proposing her son, six-year-old Fu-lin, to be enthroned as the emperor. Dorgon agreed and pledged an oath of fealty to the new emperor, Shun-zhi. 　　Dorgon defeated the army at Shnan-hai Pass and escorted Ye-er and Shun-zhi back to the capital. He was given the honorary title of the “Emperor’s Uncle and Prince-Regent.” When Hao-ge killed himself, he became the most powerful person in the government. But he had never loved any woman but Yu-er. As Emperor Shun-zhi was put in such a dangerous position, Yu-er was forced to deal with Dorgon courteously, but they had something in common: they both wanted to take over the Ming. So they had a mutual understanding and cherished each other. 　　When Dorgon’s wife and brother died, he changed the funeral parlor into a wedding hall, intending to marry Ye-er. Hong Cheng-chou advised him to abide by feudal ethics and the rite that would forbid him to marry the Queen Mother. Dorgon realized he could not force the marriage. And soon he was given the honorary title of the “Emperor’s Father and Prince-Regent” by the Queen Mother. After some coming to terms, he believed that he was nothing but a falcon tamed by the Queen Mother to conquer the world. In agitation, he mounted his horse and rode out of the capital, but then he fell off his horse and killed himself. 　　To settle the score, Emperor Shun-zhi gives the order to dig up Dorgon’s corpse from his grave and have it whipped before chopping off his head. Yu-er has deep feelings of grief and remorse, but for the sake of the dynasty, she can’t intervene…