On the day she comes of age at fifteen, snow and wind blanket the northern frontier. With her elder brother watching anxiously, Commandery Princess Xiao Mingyue sets off for the capital, accompanied by four exceptionally skilled maids and Aoxue Hall, a secret organization capable of turning the court upside down.
On the journey home, the blades of mysterious assassins reveal a mystery buried for five years: who killed her father, the God of War who fell on the battlefield?
The capital welcomes her with extravagant honors, but this is merely the prelude to her return to a gilded cage. At a palace banquet, her sword dance dazzles the crowd, while behind the scenes she clashes for the first time with Shen Yanchu, the powerful chief councilor. One is an orphan seeking revenge for her father; the other is a minister who moves pieces for the sake of the realm. Amid the turbulent court, suspicion and probing give way to unspoken affection.
As her investigation advances, she discovers that her father's death is entangled in a vast web of self-interest: nobles embezzled military funds, officials colluded with the enemy and betrayed their country, and the imperial harem hides deadly schemes... Yet Shen Yan, who has always watched from the sidelines, seems to have known the truth all along.
“What does the commandery princess think revenge will reveal?” Shen Yan says with a faint smile as he moves a piece. “In this game, you and I are both pawns.”
The blades are about to be drawn, and the truth is about to come to light. The lone phoenix returns to the palace, not to reclaim her former glory, but to burn this hypocritical court to the ground.
