As the Great Yan Dynasty teeters on the brink of collapse, the Nine Tribes of the Nine Circuits, dismissed as “barbarians,” present their holy maiden, Liang Wan, to the imperial court. She possesses the secret art of the Gu Master and is regarded as a tribute to secure the frontier. Emperor Xiao Yu needs the power of the Nine Tribes, yet fears their mysterious ways. He makes Liang Wan Empress, but in truth, she is a hostage locked inside a gilded cage.
Using innocent naivety as her mask, Liang Wan navigates the treacherous inner palace, balancing the emperor, powerful ministers, and the many consorts. With her intelligence and secret arts, she repeatedly averts disaster and quietly builds her own power. When chaos engulfs the land and foreign enemies invade, the court tries to sacrifice the Nine Tribes to save itself. Liang Wan refuses to endure any longer.
She resolutely leaves the palace and returns to the Nine Tribes. Uniting the strength of thirty-six clans, she becomes a pillar of resistance against the invaders, wielding astonishing military talent and the unique arts of witchcraft and Gu. In the end, she earns the awe of all through her victories on the battlefield. Amid the ruins of their relationship, she and the emperor reach a new understanding, one founded on equality and mutual restraint. She becomes the “Empress Liang of the Nine Tribes,” the true master of her own fate and that of her homeland.
