The late emperor died suddenly, and the crown prince was ambushed, his body never found. A single imperial edict pushed thirteen-year-old Princess Xiao Lingyi onto the throne, making her the first female emperor in the history of Dayao.
The court was a web of intrigue, the imperial princes watched hungrily from the sidelines, and the ambitions of the Northern Frontier Prince, who commanded a mighty army, were plain to see. In the inner palace, undercurrents swirled as a concubine faking a pregnancy waited for her chance to act.
Once a spoiled, willful princess doted on by her father and brothers, she shed her childishness overnight, clenched the bloodstained Dragon Lotus Jade, and vowed to defend this vast realm.
Fortunately, Gu Xingzhou, the chancellor entrusted with her care by the late emperor, shielded her from the storm and cleared every obstacle in her path.
He was a ruthless, decisive powerbroker at court, frost in his eyes and a blade in his heart, yet he showed her nothing but tender devotion
“Your Majesty, have no fear. As long as I am here, the realm will stand.”
He took a poisoned arrow for her, fought the great clans and imperial kin for her, and worked to bring peace and prosperity to the realm.
She grew from an innocent girl into a decisive ruler, while he went from chancellor regent to the man who held her heart.
But the road to the throne was always strewn with thorns, and the bond between ruler and subject was never theirs to choose freely.
As the truth slowly came to light, the crown prince's death, the secrets of the inner palace, and the turmoil on the northern frontier all pointed to a shocking conspiracy. Would she and he join hands to break the deadlock and rule the realm together, or would she give up the throne to remain by his side?
