“In these ninefold palace halls, no one can remain untouched. If you don’t want to become a pawn in someone else’s game, you must have the resolve and the ability to become the player.”
These words run through the entirety of Shen Qingyi’s growth arc: from being forced into the game and simply trying to protect herself, to taking the initiative and mastering the board, and finally transcending both its rules and the game itself.
