Dongxi Yao

Shang Luoyao was a gifted scion of a prestigious family, peerless in both medicine and poison in her previous life. Betrayed by her own kin, she died with bitter resentment. When she opened her eyes again, she had become the legitimate daughter of the Grand General’s household in the Eastern Kingdom.

Her father, Shang Cheng, was the emperor’s sworn brother, utterly loyal to him.

But she had seen too many examples of “when the wily hare is dead, the hound is cooked.” The man on the dragon throne had a mind deeper than the sea.

So in public, she played the obedient young lady from a respectable family. In private... with silver needles in one hand to save lives and poison in the other to strike at the heart, she quietly built her own business empire and intelligence network. She had to lay the groundwork for her escape route first.

Qu Shangyu, Prince Chen of the Eastern Kingdom, was peerlessly handsome, yet had long covered his face with a silver mask because of his “disfigurement.” The world knew him only as a violent-tempered man, the emperor’s sharpest blade.

No one knew that he was also the master of the continent’s foremost shadow network, the Pavilion of Dawn, commanding the night and keeping watch over the realm.

He returned to the capital only to help his imperial elder brother steady their storm-tossed kingdom and root out the rot festering beneath its splendor. With unrest at the borders and undercurrents in court, his gaze was keen as a torch, but a general’s daughter secluded in her chambers unexpectedly stumbled upon his movements.

Yunyuan City was in crisis, and Shang Cheng took his family back to the northern front. She shed her disguise, wielded a silver spear with deft hands, and used brilliant tactics to defend the isolated city.

At last, the conspiracy came to light. Foreign enemies and traitors struck at once; the imperial capital stood on the brink of disaster, while the border was attacked from both sides. On the night of the palace coup, he tore off his mask, revealing both his breathtaking appearance and his thunderous methods.

Secret letters crossed the flames of war, carrying them from mutual suspicion and exchanges of favors to absolute trust and entrusting each other with their lives in the hour of danger.

He saw the compassionate heart and healing hands beneath her armor.

She understood the love of country and untainted heart behind his mask.

Two formidable leads who cherish each other, with smart protagonists throughout. [The blurb doesn’t do it justice, so please read the story.]