In the late spring of the thirteenth year of Chengping, Su Jinli drew her final breath in the Cold Palace, only to open her eyes again three days before her coming-of-age ceremony.
Above her was the familiar carved canopy of her bed. By her ear was the gentle, falsely concerned voice of her half-sister, Shen Qingwan. Those were the very hands that had once pushed her into the water and ruined her reputation. That was the very face that had smiled as it offered her poisoned wine, watching her entire family be executed. And the Crown Prince she had loved with all her heart, Chu Zhaoran, had treated the Su family as a stepping stone, climbing to the position of heir on the blood of her father and brothers.
In her previous life, she had been naive, trusting wolves and ending up with her family destroyed and her loved ones dead.
Given another chance at life, Su Jinli hides the shock and pain in her eyes, leaving only bone-deep coldness. She is no longer the prime minister’s legitimate daughter, blinded by love and unable to see the truth.
At her coming-of-age ceremony, she casually foils Shen Qingwan’s scheme and makes her suffer the consequences. Within the family estate, she proceeds carefully, rooting out the spies planted by her stepmother and firmly taking control of the household. Beyond the court, she watches the political infighting with cool detachment, using her memories of her past life to quietly steer the Su family away from traps. At a polo match, she unexpectedly crosses paths with Mo Yichen, the stern general who will one day strike fear into the Northern Frontier.
He sees her shed her girlish innocence, revealing a composure beyond her years in her eyes. She knows he is loyal and righteous, yet cannot escape suspicion that his achievements make him a threat to the throne.
From the inner household to the imperial court, from revenge to defending the nation, Su Jinli makes her moves like a player at a chessboard. She will make Chu Zhaoran and Shen Qingwan pay for their debts in blood, while protecting the Su family and keeping Great Chu at peace. Mo Yichen’s gaze, too, shifts from wary scrutiny to the quiet certainty of someone ready to stand by her side.
“Miss Su, the road you’ve chosen is perilous and difficult.”
“If General Mo is willing to walk it with me, Jinli has nothing to fear from wind or rain.”
