[Ensemble cast + country and family + history: one woman and three men, all relationships exclusive]
[Not a wish-fulfillment story, not political scheming, not women competing against women]
A princess who was switched at birth × a short-lived young emperor × a double agent × a puppy-like boy with an all-consuming secret crush
Between the great powers of the Song and Liao, a mysterious Western Xia once rose out of nowhere, dominating the northwest and ruling with an iron fist for more than two centuries.
When Li Xiaolan wakes up, she finds herself in the obscure corner of history that is Western Xia, as a maid in the Lin residence.
-
The moment she comes to, she's hit with a huge piece of gossip: her young lady has been duped by a scumbag and eloped in the middle of the night. The disastrous start lands right in her lap.
-
Her original self was a master of peerless martial arts, but she knows nothing about Western Xia history and can barely read the local Xia script.
-
Sent out to find her young lady, she rescues the mysterious He Qi, who has been gravely wounded in an ambush, and ends up at a bandit stronghold in the Helan Mountains.
-
She beats the bandit chief into submission with one punch and takes the top spot for herself.
-
Empress Dowager Liang holds power over the court, the young emperor is making his moves, and Song and Liao are watching like hawks.
On one side is the treacherous court of Great Xia; on the other, a beautiful man with two faces and a mysterious identity.
-
Watch as a modern-day wage earner, relying on sheer strength, carves out a way to survive in iron-fisted Western Xia.
-
The young emperor Li Bingchang asks Li Xiaolan, "Would you be willing to marry me? You'd be empress, you know."
-
Empress Dowager Liang says, "You can hold the position of empress in Great Xia and wield absolute power."
-
He Qi says, "No way. I knew her first. Empress Dowager, Emperor, whoever you are, get out of my way. She only needs me."
This is not alternate history. It draws on authentic historical sources and is suited to history buffs.
