Consort Shen Jiao is stunningly beautiful, free-spirited, and the most unconventional woman in the imperial harem. She talks back to the other consorts, keeps the empress in check, and even occasionally gives the emperor the cold shoulder, yet his favor never wanes. Everyone thinks she relies on her beauty and cunning, and Shen Jiao herself believes the same. Only later does she realize that the emperor’s exclusive devotion stems from a long-standing secret love and the favoritism he had been planning for years.
