Female lead: Shen Qingci, originally named Shen Lingwan, the eldest legitimate daughter of the Shen family of Jingzhao. Raised in a family steeped in learning, she understands traditional medicine, excels at ancient incense-making techniques, and is skilled in mathematics and disguise. Gentle on the outside but strong within, she grows from a sheltered young lady into a heroine of a turbulent age and the empress of the Tang dynasty. Throughout her life, her aims are to clear her family’s name and protect the people.
Male lead: Li Chu, later renamed Li Yu, Emperor Daizong of Tang. The legitimate grandson of Emperor Xuanzong and Prince of Guangping, he later becomes Grand Marshal of the World’s Armies and emperor of the Tang dynasty. Gentle and refined on the surface, he is in fact deeply calculating and decisive in his ruthlessness. He navigates the perilous gaps between rival claims to imperial power, always keeping the realm in his heart. Shen Qingci is the only weakness and obsession of his life.
