From childhood, Changyang Junzhu of the Loyal and Martial Prince's residence has been burdened with the prophecy that she will become mother of the empire. The Yongchang Emperor's son, Prince Yue, is hailed as a future heir to the throne, a born ruler. Yet one is blind and the other crippled, seemingly destined never to become empress and emperor. Was the prophecy an illusion, a beautiful but false dream, or a lonely path that demands they keep to their proper places?
In an age of turmoil, remarkable women emerge amid schemes and power plays, while the political landscape shifts beneath their feet. The three territories of Dayuan watch hungrily; plots and intrigue swirl around the struggle for the throne; and fate tangles their lives together through one twist of chance after another. As the people they cherish leave them one by one and the truth is ruthlessly stripped bare, layer by layer, they discover that the blood-soaked reality has cost countless lives.
Blood stains the mountains and plains; lives pile up in heaps of bleached bones.
The imperial throne, towering above all and unmatched by anyone, lures countless heroes to compete for it. When the whole truth finally comes to light, this beautiful world may be full of wonders, but its heroine is fated to find no safe haven in a time of chaos.
