In this epic alternate-history novel about the Ming dynasty, the princess’s life in the Floating Palace comes to a crushing end. Zhu Mingling is a woman of immense ability and unmatched political acumen. Though only a woman, she balances corrupt officials, sets the court in order, raises military funds, and provides relief to refugees, single-handedly slowing the Ming dynasty’s collapse. But her achievements make her a threat to the throne, and the whole world turns against her. The emperor suspects her of accumulating too much power, court officials condemn her interference in politics, the princely factions fear her influence, and corrupt officials hate her integrity.
After she is framed by slander, all her real authority is stripped away, and she is placed under house arrest in the Floating Palace beside Taiye Lake. Its jeweled towers and endless glittering rooftops are both the supreme residence everyone envies and an elegant cage that traps her ambitions and shackles her spirit.
Everyone says the Grand Princess has lost her power and will eventually perish, trapped in the inner palace and forgotten by the world.
Only she knows that palace walls can confine her body, but not her ambition to turn the world upside down or her devotion to her country and people. Her secret guards lie in wait, her spies are spread throughout the court, and her former allies are concealed across the land. From within her splendid prison, she watches the court’s shifting fortunes with a cool eye, carefully advancing step by step as she waits for the chance to turn the tables.
This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.
