In the twelfth year of Yongchang under the Great Zhou, Shen Qingci, the legitimate daughter of the chancellor, died with bitter regret in the Cold Palace. She had spent her life treading carefully, yet her reputation for talent made others jealous. Her stepmother and half-sister joined forces to frame her, accusing her of having an affair with an imperial examination official and cheating in the exams. Her father and brothers were demoted, bringing shame upon the family. She herself was stripped of her position as Crown Princess and sent to the Cold Palace, where a cup of poison finally ended her life. The Crown Prince she loved, however, chose silence and abandonment at the moment she was most desperate.
When she opened her eyes again, Shen Qingci had returned to the age of fourteen…
