Stratagems in the Inner Chambers

Shen Jinxuan had a face that could deceive the world.

With her almond eyes and peachy cheeks, she looked innocent and harmless. She was the most overlooked daughter born to a concubine in the Yongning Earl's household, and a punching bag anyone could bully.

But they didn't know that beneath that sweet exterior lay a heart as ruthless as ice. When her sisters schemed against her, she pushed them into an even deeper abyss. When the mistress of the household tried to suppress her, she smiled and laid a deadly trap. She planned her every move, leaving nothing to chance, determined to carve out a path to survival for herself and her mother in this cruel household.

Xie Heng had a secret that could shake the heavens.

Handsome and noble, with power over the entire court, he was the most dazzling heir of the Marquis of Jing'an's household, and the man every noblewoman in the capital avoided. The reason? He was rumored to suffer from a “hidden ailment,” and no one was willing to marry him.

But no one knew that the reputation of being “impotent” was nothing more than a disguise to keep him from becoming a pawn in someone else's game.

A palace banquet and an unsolved case brought together two actors wearing flawless masks.

He saw the claws beneath her delicate exterior. She recognized the edge beneath his cool demeanor.

He took her hand, his voice beguiling. “How about a partnership? I'll give you power, and you'll take the arrows for me.”

She lifted her most innocent face and answered with utmost clarity. “Fine. But I want us to stand side by side, not for me to bow and obey.”

From then on, the court was rife with intrigue, and the inner residence concealed countless schemes.

Everyone laughed at her for attaching herself to a “cripple,” and mocked him for marrying a “fool.”

Until she made her enemies vanish without a trace, all while chatting and laughing; until he turned the world upside down with a wave of his hand and raised her to a position no one else could reach…

Late at night, he pinned her against the wall, his breath dangerous. “My dear wife, just how many sides of you are still a mystery to me?”