Qi Lian, an ordinary modern college student, wakes up one day in the Great Zhou dynasty as its puppet empress.
The previous emperor has died suddenly. The court is divided, the imperial clan is watching like wolves, and powerful ministers are carving up the government. The vast palace may look like the seat of supreme power, but in truth, every step is deadly and enemies surround her on all sides.
She commands a realm stretching thousands of miles, yet holds not a shred of real authority. The only person she can rely on is the Marquis of Wu, Wu Linyuan, the regent who holds sway over the court and can do as he pleases.
His beauty is unmatched in the capital, and his nature impossible to fathom. He commands the empire's armies and controls the palace guards. With a flick of his hand, he can overthrow the throne; with another, he can determine the fate of the realm.
He is her sole support in her darkest hour, and also the cage that locks away her freedom and traps her for life.
As sealed memories slowly awaken, they tear open a hidden past:
Faint traces of intimacy linger beneath her collar. They met in secret in the palace late at night, when no one else was around. In court, they pretended to clash, each keeping the other in check. Before others, they were a distant ruler and subject; behind closed doors, they were bound to the bone.
In her previous life, the original owner of this body was ruled by fear. She gave ground at every turn, until she was drained of strength and died miserably in the palace.
Now, with a soul from another world in the emperor's body, Qi Lian will no longer be weak or give in.
She feigns timidity and tests the waters one step at a time, struggling to survive the whirlpool of power and stay clear-eyed amid love and hate.
The truth behind the previous emperor's sudden death is buried beneath layer upon layer of lies. Treacherous ministers stir in the shadows, and palace conspiracies close in at every turn.
From mutual suspicion and keeping each other in check to lowering their guard and facing life and death together.
He clears every threat from the court for her, shields her from every open and hidden attack, and is willing to give up his immense power.
She brings the truth of his wrongful case to light, faces the court's condemnation, and sets aside her imperial dignity to devote herself to him.
The throne is their battleground, love and hate their game pieces, and the vast realm their betrothal gift.
In the end, the turmoil subsides, the corrupt are eradicated, and Great Zhou enjoys peace and prosperity.
A generation's great empress
Push the ceiling of the ancient saying of Machiavellianism! Awakening time travel between the empress and the powerful regent, the ultimate two-way redemption! In a desperate situation deep in the palace, with enemies on all sides, she breaks through the situation step by step with her childish and frail emperor's body. He is a powerful minister who can control the world with his own hands. Everyone in the world is afraid of his monstrous ambitions, but he shows his utmost tenderness to her, protects her from thousands of miles of power, and gives up power to fulfill the rest of his life for her. A mindless love affair, a power-playing game by everyone, layers of suspense, entangled love and hate, and the troubled times finally come to a happy ending!