The Story of Empress Guo of Great Wei

Step by step, Guo Yang rises from the daughter of a condemned official to become empress of Great Wei. She thinks she can finally protect everything she holds dear, unaware that the realm is teetering on the brink of chaos: corrupt ministers wreak havoc within, while Wu and Shu loom beyond the borders. When Emperor Ming of Wei dies suddenly, she and the young emperor are left alone, with only each other to depend on. Outside Yongning Palace, Zishang kneels before her in full armor and vows, “I shall remain a loyal subject of Wei all my life, and I will keep His Majesty and the Empress Dowager safe.” But the times are like a game of chess, beyond either of their control. In the Gaoping Tombs coup, the Sima clan takes complete control of Great Wei’s military and government. They kill Cao Shuang, depose Cao Fang, and assassinate Cao Mao… The struggle for the realm inflames his ambition, and his desire to protect her turns into a desire to possess her. He presses her ever closer, until she has nowhere left to retreat. In the end, no one speaks of the promise they once made. Sima Zhao’s ambitions are plain for all to see, yet Zishang has always kept a secret hidden in his heart, one he has never dared tell anyone…