Shen Tangning is transported into a political intrigue novel as the disposable Crown Princess, destined to die within three months.
The original Crown Princess was a pawn in the political game. Shen Tangning just wants to lie flat.
Court intrigue? She’d rather write fiction. Fighting for favor? She’d rather earn royalties.
With the determination of a graduate school applicant, she carries out her “Stay Alive Plan” to the letter in the Eastern Palace, and her pen name, “Jinghong Ke,” bursts onto the scene.
Her novel, Phoenix of the Common Girl, takes the capital by storm.
She thinks she’s done a good job keeping her identity secret, until
The ailing Crown Prince gently sets down her manuscript, his gaze dark. “My dear consort, care to explain?”
A rakish prince blocks her way, smiling with his peach-blossom eyes. “Sister-in-law, I buy every issue of your book.”
The loyal general offers up his entire salary, his ears red. “Your Highness, I… would like a signed set.”
The sharp-tongued strategist calmly analyzes the evidence. “Based on the brushwork and narrative logic, there’s a 98 percent chance that you are ‘Jinghong Ke.’”
The unhinged eunuch supervisor wipes the blood from his blade and smiles at her. “Your stories are wonderful, Your Highness. Next time, write one about me?”
Facing this chaotic love triangle with secret identities spilling out everywhere, Shen Tangning clutches her little piggy bank and trembles:
“I said I just want to write in peace and retire early. Do you believe me?”
