[Intrigue, power plays, and a heroine who grows into her role]
[Plot-focused, with romance taking a back seat. Whoever the heroine chooses is the male lead.]
In her third year serving in the army disguised as a man, Zhe Yao is summoned back from the storms of war by an imperial decree of marriage.
Headstrong and rebellious, she has been away from home for three years. She had hoped to cast off the burdens of her family and identity, roam the world, and make a name for herself through some earthshaking exploits.
But from the moment the decree arrives, she is dragged into a maelstrom of bloodshed. She watches a once timid and weak friend turn obsessive and deranged, a brilliant and perceptive woman wither away, and a master schemer become consumed by constant fear.
It is as if she has awakened from a long, deep dream. When she opens her eyes again, everything seems to have returned to the moment it all began.
Exhausted yet eager, Zhe Yao takes up the banner.
What follows...
are years of clashing blades, with wind and snow weighing on her shoulders.
