Lu Qingqian, daughter of an imperial physician, is drawn into a blood-soaked case from the previous dynasty because of a Green Phoenix jade pendant. The Empress Dowager is afflicted with a poisonous curse, while the princess of the northern frontier harbors murderous intentions. Using silver needles as blades and the Thousand Gold Prescriptions to break through the deadlock, she uncovers the truth of her origins amid the scents of medicine and the struggles for power. But she is forced to choose between a healer's compassion and imperial ruthlessness. Beneath the vermilion palace walls, every remedy is both salvation and a deadly threat.
