A Midnight Upheaval

Emperor Daxing is dead, and no new emperor has been enthroned. Currents of intrigue run deep.

In the dead of night, a young eunuch is slain within the palace walls. His dying words point straight to Chengtian Hall. Guard commander Gu Xiuyuan arrives through the blood, only to find that Eunuch Li, the late emperor's trusted confidant, has already been killed beside a desk, a Xiuchun saber buried in his chest. The scene yields only half a bloodstained tiger tally and a scrap of paper bearing the words “secret edict” and “Eastern Palace.”

The tiger tally is stolen, an old servant is dead, and black powder leads to tribute from a vassal state. Every clue points to the Crown Prince and Prince Jing, bitter enemies locked in a struggle for power.

On one side are the Eastern Palace guards hiding their own schemes; on the other, Prince Jing's residence, secretly laying out its network of informants. Trust and betrayal intertwine, while lies and truth run side by side.

With the broken tiger tally, a matter of vital importance to the realm, in his hands, Gu Xiuyuan navigates the palace's treacherous web of intrigue. He must find the true wielder of the blade amid the raging storm and uncover the shocking secret behind the “secret edict.” Otherwise, the next upheaval in the dead of night will strike at the very foundations of the dynasty.