[This story blends history, mathematics, court intrigue, family vengeance, household rivalry, the greater good of the nation, and ancient technology. It is not a wish-fulfillment novel, so read with your brain switched on.] The protagonists are both highly intelligent, and their mutual attraction is a battle of equals. The story features a nuanced romance and a strong friendship arc.
A birthmark on Mo Lan conceals the secrets of the empire’s trade routes, while a hidden catch in a silver lock holds the grudges of two generations.
Jiang Zhaoning, an orphan cast aside by the Marquis Wei household in Bianjing, escaped a fire with her life. Armed with a talent for mathematics and a sharp business mind, she went from a lone wolf at the mercy of others to carefully building her way up, opening seventy-two shops, surviving household intrigue, and unraveling the mysteries of the imperial court.
Pei Su, the legitimate grandson of the thousand-year-old Wenxi Pei clan, enters the game to clear his family’s name. With a merchant’s ledger in hand, he commands the wealth of the realm, from reforming the Grand Canal transport system to calculating the distribution of salt, iron, tea, and grain across the empire.
The two first met amid the embers of an alliance forged by their fathers in a time of turmoil. But power plays and schemes bred misunderstandings between them. After starting out as rivals, they came to recognize each other’s brilliance amid the maelstrom of court intrigue.
He is no blind protector. He offers the realm as her betrothal gift: a promise, and a game of strategy. He seeks to safeguard not only peace in the land, but also her unyielding spirit.
She is no self-sacrificing saint. She takes black iron as her token: both armor and a bond of love. Wielding her sword against Western Xia, she avenges her family and her country, while also fulfilling his uncompleted wish.
Two formidable minds clash, with strategy as their foundation and deep devotion as their soul.
There is no easy thrill of sudden triumph, only careful schemes at every turn, friendships tested by life and death, and a tender love that helps them bring out the best in each other amid a time of chaos.
These two formidable figures of the Northern Song wield black iron as their blade and court intrigue as their game, making a vow upon the mountains and rivers as they write a passionate legend of “joining hands over the game board, pledging themselves to protect the world.”
