Making the Lord Marquis Bow

Wei Shao, the northern overlord, is cold and stern. Commanding 300,000 cavalry, he is the court's trusted frontier commander. A brilliant strategist who has never lost a battle, he nevertheless scoffs at the marriage alliance arranged by his grandmother. That is, until the spring banquet, where he meets a young woman studying battle tactics over a chessboard: Xiao Qiao, the Qiao family's second daughter. Xiao Qiao is exceptionally clever and well versed in military strategy. Though born into a merchant family, she has courage to rival any man's. She turns the chessboard into a battlefield, sees through the barbarian tribes' plot to invade the south at a glance, and uncovers clues that the Gongsun clan is secretly colluding with the enemy. When she hands the intelligence to Wei Shao, a contest that could decide the fate of the northern frontier begins... He wields the blade; she moves the pieces. He conquers the world through blood and iron; she plans from behind the scenes with her wits. When a stern overlord meets a brilliant strategist, will they fight side by side, or scheme against each other? In this turbulent age, one game of chess will decide both life and death, and their marriage.