Shen Qingci, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis’s household, was once the pampered darling of the capital, envied by everyone. But when her younger brother becomes entangled in an assassination case, the powerful Prince of Zhenbei, Xiao Jue, takes her into his grasp.
He is a ruthless minister who clawed his way out of a mountain of corpses, sinister and cunning, with methods so brutal that even the capital’s great families tremble at the mention of his name. Using the lives of everyone in her household as leverage, he treats her as a pawn in his hand, scheming at every turn and testing her at every opportunity.
“Find the truth within three days, or your brother will be buried with the assassin who tried to kill me.”
His icy threat hangs at her throat like a blade. Shen Qingci sheds her gentle disguise and takes strategy as her weapon, navigating the undercurrents at court and the crises threatening her household. She follows the clues and unravels conspiracies, unaware that she has already fallen into the inescapable web he laid for her.
He watches her struggle against desperation, amusement and a sure sense of victory hidden in his eyes. “Shen Qingci, become my consort. Your household will be safe, and you… will live.”
She smiles with a blade behind her words and pretends to obey, hoping only to find a chance to break free. Yet with each clash between them, she catches glimpses of the hidden past and unexpected tenderness beneath his ruthless mask.
As political schemes become entangled with growing affection, the line between pawn and player begins to blur
“Your Highness, do you truly want to control me, or have you already fallen for me?”
He grips her chin, his voice harsh, though a hint of losing control slips through: “Remember your place. You are my captive bird. Don’t even think of escaping.”
But a captive bird has wings and will one day soar to the heavens; affection hidden beneath a cold blade will one day melt it. In this contest where their lives are at stake, who will fall in love first, and who will lose their heart first?
