The Palace Courtyard Locked by Wutong Trees

An ensemble cast story.

Yun Lingxian never had children of her own, yet in her later years, when she became a consort dowager, she found herself surrounded by grandchildren. Still, she often thought back to her youth.

At seven, she entered the palace to be Ning'er’s study companion. From then on, she was like the parasol tree trapped within the palace walls: a watcher of the game, and a pawn caught in its depths.

Looking back on her life, she remembers the young men and women of noble birth who grew up together. But as the years passed, waves of royal intrigue and family fortunes swept them along. Some entered the political arena for their families; others were drawn into tangled romances of love and hate by conspiracies, and misunderstandings multiplied.

In the end, she was the only one left in the deep palace, remembering all that had come before...