When Shen Jianwei was five, she overheard the words that would change her life outside her father’s study.
“His Majesty has placed the Seventh Prince in the Shen family’s care. It may be a blessing or a curse. The safety of our entire clan rests on this child.”
That was when she understood:
Even the life or death of the imperial bloodline depended on the whim of a subject.
What, then, was power?
She began “looking after” the fallen prince who had been entrusted to her family.
Everyone said the legitimate daughter of the Shen family and the prince had grown up together as childhood sweethearts, and that she would one day become his empress. Only she knew that she was making the shrewdest investment of her life.
Later, the prince ascended the throne and made her empress.
He took her hand, his love and trust plain in his eyes. “Jianwei, half my empire is yours.”
Shen Jianwei lowered her eyes gently, her mind perfectly clear.
She didn’t want half.
She wanted it all.
Reader’s guide:
Centered on the heroine, with a somewhat harem-like ensemble cast. The story is a slow burn.
The heroine is born hungry for power, with no foolish fixation on romance. Power is in her bones, and the male lead is a “masterpiece” she carefully chose and personally raised.
The early story focuses on palace intrigue; the later story shifts toward political maneuvering. In the later stages, the heroine ascends the throne, establishes female officials at court, names the legitimate princess heir, and rules the realm alone.
