The Chronicle of Reform

In the thirty-sixth year of the New Calendar, the Chinese capital, where the roar of steam mingled with the glow of spiritual runes, was on the verge of a transfer of power. The new emperor, Su Xuan, was a princess of fox-demon blood, full of ideals but still somewhat naive, and she was about to ascend the throne. At her side were two equally young friends, both bearing heavy responsibilities: Mu Shu, a bold and unruly young woman and the daughter of a prestigious academy’s dean, and Su Luo, who possessed strange ocular powers and had just become the new master of Lingyan Pavilion.

The story opens with Su Xuan’s coronation, interwoven with the tumultuous, bloody history of the reforms: the ideals and sacrifice of the pioneer Su Qianfan; his younger brother Su Xinghe, the merciless and tragic “Sword of Reform”; and the difficult burden borne by Empress Gongsun Yingxue, Su Xuan’s mother, as she balanced iron resolve with tenderness.

The Chronicle of Reform depicts a distinctive world blending steampunk with Eastern fantasy. Gear-driven steel giants coexist with the everyday bustle of traditional teahouses, while spirit-powered mystic birds sweep past the eaves of the ancient imperial city. Three young women with very different personalities face the opportunities of a new age and the shadows of the old, together navigating the whirlpool of power, ideals, and friendship. They must carry on their parents’ unfinished work of “reform,” protect the hard-won peace and its fruits of change, and find their own way to govern amid corrupt officials, tangled interests, and external threats. Against a grand backdrop of movement and stillness, they write the fates of ordinary people and a new chapter in the future of China.