In the Great Zhou dynasty, Chu Mingzhao, the eldest legitimate daughter of the Duke of Chu’s household, is born extraordinary. In an age when women are expected to remain confined to their inner quarters, she dares to defy fate and change her lot.
Her father is old, and her half-brother covets his position. The Empress Dowager bears down on her, while the Wang family plots in secret. The court is a place of deadly intrigue. Chu Mingzhao navigates it all, wielding power as a woman and keeping male companions to conceal her true ambitions, all while quietly building her strength.
Lin Che’s music is elegant, and he is willing to warm her bed and keep watch through the night. Xie Yun’s brush can capture the schemes in people’s hearts. Su Xun’s medical skills can silently neutralize any poison. Lu Ziqian is a master strategist, while Gu Yan is a consummate people person. Each of her five male companions has his own strengths and private motives, yet all stay by her side, becoming her most unusual pawns and protectors on the road to power.
Just as she finally takes control of the Chu family, introduces imperial examinations for women, and reforms thousand-year-old rites and customs, she touches the interests of the great clans, and even greater dangers close in. The Marquis of Zhennan raises an army, remnants of the Wang family plot assassinations, and the Empress Dowager’s intentions remain inscrutable…
Chu Mingzhao stands atop the city wall, gazing at the enemy troops massed beyond it. Behind her are the hopes of countless women. She points her sword at the sky.
“If the world will not allow a woman to wield power, then I’ll make the phoenix cry across the heavens and show the world what true dominion means!”
