For twenty years, Qin Ying disguised herself as a man and rose to the post of Left Chancellor, remaining true all her life to the promise she made to the emperor's birth mother. When the new emperor ascends the throne and moves to purge the old ministers, she lets down her hair in open court and reveals the three great crimes she has committed: deceiving the emperor, interfering in state affairs, and misleading the emperor's mother throughout her life. The truth strikes the court like a thunderbolt. After twenty years of forbearance and protection, how will the new emperor face this legendary woman, who is both his “political enemy” and the person entrusted with his care? The fate of the court, old grievances, and the secrets of the inner palace all hang by the strands of her loosened hair.
