During the Jian era of the Great Yan dynasty, Shen Qingci, the illegitimate daughter of a Jiangnan textile merchant, was summoned to the palace to restore The Exemplary Women. No one knew her true identity: she was the orphaned daughter of the former dynasty's Grand Astrologer, burdened by her family's blood-soaked vendetta. She had entered the palace solely to uncover the historical truth that had been buried.
In this turbulent court, where power was divided among the Empress Dowager, the Prince Regent, and the emperor, Qingci relied on her ability to remember everything she saw and her unparalleled skill in restoring ancient books. With her brush as a blade, she documented the struggles of the imperial harem and the political infighting at court. She rejected the emperor's attempts to possess her, the Empress Dowager's efforts to win her over, and the Prince Regent's recruitment, holding fast to her belief: “The historian's brush is iron. It must never be altered.”
In her darkest days, she drew hundreds of tally marks on the walls of the Cold Palace and silently recited the truths she had recorded. At her most desperate hour, Helian Zheng, the northern hostage prince she had taught to read Chinese, led iron cavalry through the palace walls and carried her out of captivity.
From the women's quarters of Jiangnan to the inner palace, from prisoner in the Cold Palace to the first female Grand Astrologer in history, Shen Qingci spent seventeen years proving that one force endures longer than power: the historian's iron brush, and the truth that people will still remember a thousand years from now.
When power was within her grasp, she chose instead to drift away with Helian Zheng and journey to the grasslands. The History of Three Dynasties she left behind ensured that posterity would forever remember this remarkable woman who rewrote history with her words.
This book is a world that I have built for you with the most delicate writing and the most sincere perspective, which is both familiar and novel. I put a lot of effort into carving out each character and gaining insight into their hearts, hoping that they can stand vividly in front of you. I have carefully arranged the progression of the plot and strived to be relaxed and relaxed, so that you will not want to put it down after reading it. This is not only a story I tell, but also a dialogue between me and my own soul. I hope it can trigger some thoughts in you about the nature of life. I strive for smooth and beautiful writing. I hope you can read it effortlessly, but after closing the book, there is still a lingering fragrance lingering in your heart. It is worth you to calm down and savor it with me.