The prophecy that “a phoenix hidden indoors is beyond price” did not make Shen Jintang the apple of the Duke of Guo's eye. Instead, she became a discarded pawn, sent to marry into the family as a lucky charm for her younger sister.
Married into Prince An's household, rumored to be a place where no one “lives past three months,” she faces a violent prince confined to his sickbed, secret schemes in the inner court, and the cold indifference of a family that keeps closing in on her.
But no one expects this discarded pawn to possess a photographic memory and the cunning to turn the world upside down.
At the library, she meets a recluse and learns the art of ruling. In a perilous situation, she saves a great man and builds an intelligence network. From unraveling a deadly plot in the prince's household to taking control of the Jiangnan canal transport, from clearing her family's name to helping Prince An vie for supremacy, Shen Jintang plans every move and turns the power games of the aristocracy into pieces in her hand.
When the once-discarded daughter reaches the pinnacle of power, she turns down the empress's throne, there for the taking, with a smile. “I never wanted a phoenix crown and bridal robes. I want to make sure no one in this land is ever discarded again!”
Power struggles, a formidable partnership, and a rising ensemble cast: watch the legitimate daughter Shen Jintang scheme for herself, for others, and for the whole realm amid the intrigues of an aristocratic household and the turmoil of the imperial court!
