Cao Miaoji is Cao Cao's younger sister and the youngest child of Cao Song. Far more quiet and 'conventionally feminine' than her older sister, Boshi, Miaoji is someone all her siblings band together to protect when the time comes. For as she matures, she presents a prospect to the family and as the Cao grow in power and influence, her father's eyes turn to the power of the consort clans and in Miaoji he sees an opportunity to attach his household as directly to the Imperial family as will allow, a position that comes with endless privileges...and just as many risks.

Zhang Chunhua, the daughter of a Magistrate in Weijun, finds herself thrust into the chaos of the Yellow Scarf Rebellion when her father's seat is surrounded and swarmed. With a cadre of her father's finest guards, she's sent to the Imperial Task Force garrison in the capital region where she fast proves a young spitfire, declaring her father gave her the authority to act as Weijun's voice and any who can't muster the spirit and forces necessary to save her father's hold from the rebellion has no right calling himself an officer or even a human being. Her abrasive and somewhat pompous personality grates on others and not even Cao Cao is safe from her dressing down and dreaded 'pointy-finger'. Sima Yi, however, shows unusual shyness and inelegance around the young lady, a fact that goes unnoticed by her but not, by any means, by his fellows.

Ding Lushi, daughter of Ding Gong, brother of Ding Chong and child of the second most influential clan in Pei, finds herself married to the already infamous Cao Cao in order to unite their previously warring clans. This arrangement pleases neither husband nor wife. Around Cao Cao, she is cold, aloof and will point out his shortcomings as often as she can. Cao Cao in response will call her out in turn. Yet somehow, they seem more at home insulting each other behind closed doors than feigning affection in public. While the two would never admit to loving each other, there emerges, to some extent, a certain respect the two have for each other's wit and sense of endurance in each other's company. Despite how much he loathes living with her, Cao Cao would never call Ding Lushi a hateful woman. She is simply how she's been raised, largely neglected by her father and taught to hate the Cao who always plotted against the Ding clan. Never having been taught social skills beyond female etiquette, she finds it impossible to make friends in Pei, particularly among Cao Cao's laid-back colleagues. The only one she gets along with in the Cao household is Cao Cao's first wife, married to him on the same day as Ding Lushi was, Lady Liu Kuaihe.