[Rebirth, revenge on scoundrels, sisters switching households as contrasting foils, strong female lead, palace intrigue, a touch of political scheming]
[A calculating, tea-green, unhinged beauty and an immaculate emperor who seems gentle but is ruthless underneath]
The year her parents separated, she let her frail younger sister leave with their mother.
She gave everything to help her father and brother advance in their careers, yet still lost to her younger sister, who returned home in tears.
Her father and brother doted on the girl, and sent her on her way with a cup of poisoned wine.
She died in agony, her insides torn apart, and her body was dumped in a mass grave.
Wild beasts devoured her corpse, leaving nothing whole.
When she returned to the day her parents separated, she fought for her own interests without hesitation.
All she wanted was that one slim chance to change her fate.
When it was time to leave, her sister said the whole marquis household was full of madmen.
That was when she understood: her sister had been reborn too.
At the marquis household, Chen Tingman tried to put her in her place, but she played along and turned the tables, establishing her authority.
When the Old Madam scolded her, she won her over with rare medicinal herbs.
When Shen Sinian dazzled everyone at a poetry gathering and earned the Third Prince's admiration,
she brought the poem's true author along and exposed her on the spot, earning Shen Sinian the reward of being barred from the imperial examinations for three years.
At a banquet in the marquis household, she saved her sister's personal maid.
Then she sent the maid back to her sister, successfully sowing discord among the siblings.
This time, she had come to collect interest, if only to pay tribute to her past self.
She would step over the bones of the Shen family and climb to the peak of power.
She would make them watch as she enjoyed the wealth and glory they had always dreamed of.
