Before she turned twelve, Jiang Xi was the beloved legitimate daughter of a noble house. After a massacre disguised as a bandit attack, she became an orphan. The smile at the corner of her second uncle's mouth became a grudge etched into her heart.
When she came of age, her aunt planned to sell her for a good price. But her birth chart matched that of Prince Linhuai, and an imperial decree from the empress dowager made her the secondary consort of Prince Shen Yan. Her grandmother called it a good match, yet said nothing about Shen Yan having been unconscious for half a month.
She married into the prince's household intending to use its power to clear her parents' names. But when Shen Yan secured an imperial decree from the emperor granting her the title of principal consort, her defenses began to crumble.
At the Mid-Autumn banquet, she met the third princess, Shen Wan. Later, they unexpectedly rediscovered a childhood bond and became close friends.
On a day of heavy snow, she finally avenged her parents and watched their killer be executed in public.
She thought everything had finally been settled, but the case of the young women in Jinzhou, which she stumbled upon by chance, was like a stone thrown into a lake, stirring up deep currents beneath the surface. She and Shen Wan began investigating the truth.
A chilling truth emerged before them, but they did not back down. They made a vow: “We want a world that no longer judges merit and fault by gender.”
From then on, Shen Wan entered the court, while Jiang Xi worked behind the scenes to tip the scales. The crown prince suddenly died, leaving the emperor without another son, and Shen Wan took charge of the government.
But Shen Yan unexpectedly uncovered the truth behind their marriage. Almost choking on his words, he asked her, “Did you ever have even the slightest genuine affection for me?” She replied, “Of course.”
On the day Shen Wan ascended the throne, Jiang Xi accepted the seal of the chancellor and stood at the head of the assembled officials.
For decades afterward, she and Shen Wan worked together to enact new policies, earning a place in the history books as “Two Jewels Ruling Together, Opening an Era of Prosperity and Peace.”
