A Chinese emperor (Chow Yun-Fat) returns to his palace to discover his wife (Gong Li) is having an affair with her stepson, the Crown Prince (Jay Chou), who is himself actually in love with the Imperial doctor's daughter. In the lead up to the Chong Yang festival, an army of golden-plated warriors lay siege to the palace.
During China's Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest. Now his control over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself.