Drawing on her foresight into history and the wisdom of a modern woman, she quietly rises as a strategist. She helps the Fourteenth Prince avoid disaster in the struggle over the crown prince, displays her military acumen during the Mulan autumn hunt, and quashes rumors of witchcraft to secure her place in the household. Step by step, she helps him earn military honors and the emperor’s favor. From concubine to confidante, they discuss state affairs by lamplight and plot together through crises. Their feelings bloom in secret, and their bond grows ever deeper.
Yet the closer she gets to the heart of power, the more she understands the price of defying fate. The Fourth Prince watches coldly, tightening the noose at every turn. The Eighth Prince’s faction is everywhere, its strength difficult to challenge. And Emperor Kangxi’s imperial schemes are unfathomable. Can she, a woman alone, change the course of a destiny already set in stone? And amid the flood of history, can she win a chance at survival for the man she loves and protect the hard-won love between them?
