During the Dasheng era, the Shen family was a distinguished military household, its halls filled with the music of bells and chimes, while undercurrents churned through the inner courtyard.
Shen Jinxin, the illegitimate daughter of the family, lost her mother in childbirth. Branded from childhood as a bringer of misfortune to her kin, she struggled to survive in a neglected courtyard.
Fortunately, the Old Madam took her in at Rongshou Hall, but that was her first step into the dangerous whirlpool of a mansion teeming with wolves and tigers.
Madam Hu poisoned her, her half-sister framed her, and the servants humiliated her. Everyone in the household wanted to crush this helpless weed.
She concealed her strengths and endured, wielding her wits like a blade as she fought her way to survival amid flashing steel and hidden arrows.
When they first met, she was alone, fighting a pack of wolves in a bloody battle. Blood stained her plain dress, and her cold, fierce bearing made her seem like a wrathful asura descending upon the world. The sight shook the high-ranking Prince Yu to his core.
Prince Yu's gaze darkened, unable to hide his astonishment and admiration. "How does a mere illegitimate daughter have such a fearsome confidence in her ability to kill?"
Shen Jinxin slowly raised her eyes, her unyielding pride clear in her gaze. Each word rang out with conviction: "No one else can control the road ahead of me. My fate is in my own hands."
The world is vast. I will ride the wind upward myself. Once I spread my wings, I can soar to the highest heavens.
