Shen Zhiyi, the neglected legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's household, is made empress by imperial decree, a pawn for Emperor Zhao Yin to keep the Empress Dowager in check. On her wedding night, she is left alone in an empty bridal chamber, while the power of the six palaces falls entirely into the hands of the emperor's favored consort, Su Wanqing. The imperial palace is a tiger's den: poisoned incense, schemes involving witchcraft, the death of an imperial heir... Every incident points to that seemingly pure-hearted "white moonlight."
Shen Zhiyi was never a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. She uses her medical skills to break through traps and her wits to navigate the treacherous gap between the Empress Dowager's oppression and the emperor's suspicion. She wins the Empress Dowager's trust by saving her, investigates the truth behind her father's death, and foils a conspiracy in the northern frontier. Her astonishing talent impresses Zhao Yin, but also makes him wary: the Shen family's military power remains a sword hanging over his head. Amid the turmoil, her relationship with Zhao Yin quietly changes through suspicion and shared hardship. They go from a political marriage to fighting side by side, from testing one another to entrusting each other with their hearts. He overrules all objections to name her son, the seventh prince, crown prince, and personally tutors him. Once the crown prince is firmly established, Zhao Yin resolutely abdicates and raises the new emperor to the throne.
Shen Zhiyi finally becomes Empress Dowager, the mother of all under heaven. Her brothers each make their mark, defending the borders, amassing great wealth, and serving at court. The once-discarded empress becomes the most revered woman in the imperial palace. Looking back, she sees that the path beneath the phoenix throne was paved with bones, but the realm she protected is at peace, and her children are grown. Yet does the mystery left behind by the woman in red beneath the dry well in the Cold Palace hint that the storm has not truly passed? "If you don't like it, don't complain."
