At the Great Chao Longevity Banquet, a poisoned spring comes to light, unveiling a bloody game of intrigue spanning twenty years.
Shen Weiwan, a “frail” princess entrusted with the late empress’s decree, returns to the capital from the martial world. Dai Chao is a young emperor who has endured in silence for years. The siblings join forces to purge the court, never realizing that the inner palace has long been ensnared in a vast web called “Cold Fragrance.”
“Plum embers light the night; dragon’s breath draws blood into the game.”
When the lost recipe for Empress Zhaoning’s “soul-controlling incense” resurfaces, when the Northern Di cavalry mass at the border under the pretext of a “troop rotation,” and when the truth behind the “treason case” from twenty years ago begins to emerge, the paired-lotus jade pendant in Shen Weiwan’s hand becomes the only key to unlocking the truth.
She must face:
* Xiuniang, a mad palace maid who uses poisonous incense to control people’s minds;
* The mysterious “Ghost King,” whose immense power reaches deep into the heart of the court;
* And a shocking conspiracy to overthrow the realm.
“This realm cannot tolerate even the slightest scheming, much less a drop of tainted blood.”
Shen Weiwan plans her every move, using herself as bait as she engages in a deadly contest against an unseen enemy amid the flames of war in the plum grove, the ghost market, and Yingchou Gorge.
Can she sever the countless threads of this conspiracy before spring is over?
Can she keep her brother safe and protect the Great Chao?
This is a tale of palace intrigue, human nature, and redemption. Watch Shen Weiwan summon the phoenix home amid the dying plum blossoms and bring peace to the realm and its people!
