In the Great Phoenix Kingdom, where women outrank men, a tale of power and love begins to unfold. Third princess Yun Zhao has overwhelming strength but knows nothing about governing. With her red robes, ponytail, and scar between her brows, she can take down a tiger with her bare hands but is terrified of spiders. Summoned back in haste from the border, she unexpectedly saves Xie Qinglan, the kingdom's foremost scholar, a gentle and refined man with a scheming side. He keeps an abacus at his waist, but is really a master of hidden weapons and a “virtue for men” class honor student with a photographic memory. From then on, his fate becomes intertwined with Yun Zhao's.
Back at the palace, Yun Zhao faces the brutal struggle for power. The Empress is gravely ill, and her two elder sisters are openly and secretly fighting over the throne. Yun Zhao embarrasses herself at court because she knows nothing about politics, but with Xie Qinglan's covert help, the Empress orders her to take part in government affairs. Faced with rumors that she's a “blockhead,” Yun Zhao strikes a deal with Xie Qinglan: she will protect him, and he will help her cram on statecraft. From debating at court to sparring late into the night, from exposing a handsome spy to investigating a shortfall in the Ministry of Revenue, they grow closer through one crisis after another. Their chemistry heats up during a late-night talk in the library, a shared ride on horseback, and other memorable moments.
As the story progresses, Yun Zhao is sent south by the Empress to investigate the salt tax, and she and Xie Qinglan disguise themselves as a merchant couple to venture into the martial world. Along the way, bandits ambush them on the road and they spend a night in a ruined temple. At a Jiangnan banquet, they even fall into a jealous cold war, but protecting each other only deepens their feelings. Meanwhile, secrets about their pasts keep coming to light: Xie Qinglan is the son of the former dynasty's Grand Tutor and is of mixed ethnic heritage, while the truth behind Yun Zhao's birth father's “death in battle” emerges. The two must face not only courtly conspiracies but also threats from Listening Snow Tower and the Southern Border forces.
After surviving life-and-death trials, Yun Zhao grows from a political novice into a wise ruler
Very interesting and beautiful