During the Great Sheng era, Grand Princess Yuwen Shuxue has won countless military honors, yet is repeatedly framed by the court. Her husband has an affair with a palace consort, her marriage contract is broken, and villains spread slander to ruin her reputation. Her close friend is forced into an unhappy political marriage. The emperor fears her growing power and, on a pretext, exiles the Yuwen and Yuchi clans to Liaodong, laying a deadly ambush along the route.
Gifted with supernatural powers and able to command strange beasts, Yuwen Shuxue has long known of the plot. She stockpiles supplies and protects her clan in advance, then, with covert help from Regent Prince Xuanyuan Sheng, overcomes one crisis after another, protects the people, and puts down unrest on the border. Little by little, she uncovers the emperor's schemes to keep power in check, the undercurrents among the vassal princes, the princes' plots, and her family's secrets.
Once the turmoil and political intrigue have settled, Yuwen Shuxue pacifies the court but has no desire for the throne. She relinquishes power and retires from public life. Xuanyuan Sheng ascends the throne and establishes the Heavenly Sheng Dynasty. The two stand together through everything and write a celebrated tale of a golden age.
This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.
