[Palace intrigue + farming + political scheming + conquering the realm + strong female lead]
She was born into the Zhuge clan of Xiyue, a family whose wealth surpassed all under heaven and whose prosperity outshone the twin capitals. After her family is destroyed by a villain, she becomes a lowly commoner and is sold to a brothel in a foreign land, where she is forced to entertain others and endure humiliation.
She refuses to accept her fate: her parents and clansmen died unjustly, while their enemies hold power at court and rise ever higher.
By chance, Yisun obtains the Heart-Controlling Gu, which can manipulate people's hearts.
Using a political marriage between the two nations as her opportunity, she draws closer to the emperor of Dali step by step. With the Heart-Controlling Gu in her hands, she successfully holds his heart in the palm of hers. She will use imperial power to take revenge on the Cui brothers, the men responsible for destroying her family.
She becomes the one and only woman in the emperor's heart, stirring up turmoil in the palace. But through one contest after another, she gradually realizes that even if she brings down the Cui clan, the ambitious Pei, Gao, Tang, and Yuchi clans will all want her dead. The struggle for power in the palace never ends. Even as empress, she is nothing more than a pawn manipulated by the emperor and her title. She is tired of it.
The emperor's favor and political power are forever shifting. She despairs.
Then she understands: what she must control is not one person's heart, but the hearts of all under heaven. Whoever wins the hearts of all becomes king.
She resolves to claim the supreme power of one born to rule.
She will plan a new world, one where no one can dictate her fate, where she needn't constantly scheme against others, and where people can live with dignity and hope...
It all begins in the eighth year of Qianyuan.
