The Great Yin dynasty is in decline, and powerful ministers hold sway, yet a wisp of agarwood drifts through a small town in Jiangnan.
Shen Nanxing is heir to a family of incense makers. Sharp-tongued, hard-hearted, and fiercely protective of her own, she rules her incense shop.
Famine ravages the northwest, unscrupulous merchants hoard grain, and the court is full of hypocrites. Yet she has neither power nor influence, only a wealth of skill.
After an accident grants her the ability to discern scents, one sniff is all it takes to tell whether someone's words are true or false, or whether poison is hidden nearby.
Incense can expose lies, neutralize poison, and carry messages. A little incense burner becomes a powerful tool for stirring up the political landscape.
While others throw their power around, she uses a single burner of incense to deliver face-slapping comeuppances to the powerful, expose corrupt officials, and save the people.
From a small-town incense shop to the Ninth Prince's manor, she rises step by step, until even the aloof prince willingly gets drawn into her plans.
When dragon's-breath incense burns, she takes the emperor's hand. On the day she is crowned empress, all under heaven will know:
This flourishing paradise is one she cultivated inch by inch, with a single burner of incense and all her heart.
