In her later years, Wu Zetian fell gravely ill and moved to the Palace of Eternal Life. From then on, she ceased all contact with her ministers and nobles, and every imperial decree was delivered by her male favorites, the Zhang brothers. On New Year’s Day, the empress canceled the grand court assembly and issued a decree from deep within the palace: the era name would be changed to Shenlong, and a general amnesty would be granted.
One day, the magistrate of Luoyang left the inner palace carrying a secret letter. He was murdered after returning home, and the letter vanished without a trace.
Luoyang seemed calm on the surface, but undercurrents were already churning. The Crown Princess Wei, Prince Xiang Li Dan, Prince of Liang Wu Sansi, Shangguan Wan'er, Zhang Changzong, and other factions were all poised to act.
Wang Haibin, an assistant director at the Court of Judicial Review, is drawn into the maelstrom by accident. What will he do?
