The day Jiang Wan entered the Duke of Zhenguo’s residence, all of Jinling assumed she was an orphan hoping to marry into a powerful family.
At the welcoming banquet, the duchess kindly suggested a marriage between their families.
In full view of everyone, Jiang Wan rose and bowed, her voice cool as shattered jade:
“I’m grateful for your kindness, Aunt. But I’m afraid I must decline this betrothal.”
The hall fell utterly silent.
The heir, Xie Zheng, set down his wine cup and looked directly at his “frail” cousin for the first time. What he saw was a pair of eyes as calm as a deep pool.
Everyone said Jiang Wan had gone mad.
An orphan with both parents dead had dared to reject the Duke of Zhenguo’s heir in public.
What they didn’t know was that she was the last successor to the royal secret archive known as the Crane Watchers. She had infiltrated the duke’s residence carrying her master’s blood feud and a startling secret volume.
And Xie Zheng, the heir who commanded the Imperial Guard and kept his thoughts to himself, was the most crucial part of her plan, and its greatest wild card.
He thought she was playing hard to get.
But right under his nose, she used her medical skills to save his subordinates, solved cold cases through deduction, and navigated the world of princes and nobles with her wits.
Xie Zheng cornered Jiang Wan against the wall, his fingertips brushing the side of her neck.
“Cousin, whose side are you really on?”
She tilted her head and smiled. “Take a guess, Your Highness.”
Later, Xie Zheng was poisoned while protecting her. At the brink of death, he held tightly to her hand.
“The person who saved me in Jiangzhou that year… it was you, wasn’t it?”
Jiang Wan’s hands trembled as she treated him with acupuncture, tears falling onto his bloodstained clothes.
“You only figured it out now, Lord Xie? You really are blind.”
[Clear-headed, composed, and a master of disguise heroine × cunning, devoted, and peerless in combat heir]
1. Two formidable leads draw each other in, with intense push and pull; the heroine stays clever throughout.
2. Court intrigue at the heart of the story, with mystery investigations and a blend of sweetness and heartbreak.
3. A rich ensemble cast, with fully realized supporting characters.
