As a Hostage Princess from a Fallen Kingdom, I Rule the Court with Cunning

Chu Ningshuang, a princess of a fallen kingdom, is sent as a hostage to the deep palace of the enemy state of Yan. Everyone thinks she is a helpless bird in a cage, unaware that she has already been tempered like steel in the flames of her homeland's downfall. The harem is her battlefield, and people's hearts are her blades. Facing a favored consort's provocations, the empress's schemes, and the tangled interests of rival factions, Chu Ningshuang advances with measured steps, stirring the court with unmatched cunning. She sparks conflict among the consorts, turning their strength against one another, and sees through the ills of the imperial court, overcoming force with gentleness. With the cold and suspicious Emperor Xiao Xuance, she goes from testing and using each other to meeting as equals in a game of wits, their relationship entwined with love and hate. In the end, Chu Ningshuang not only avenges her homeland but also carves out a bloody path through the devouring harem, rising from a lowly hostage princess to a legendary woman whose power rules the court and whom no one dares to bully.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.