The Eastern Palace of the Great Jing Dynasty stands vacant. Nine princes contend for the throne, leaving a trail of bones in their wake.
Princes vie against one another, noble clans seize power, and eunuchs conceal their claws. Everyone is a player, and everyone is a pawn.
He is Xiao Jingyuan, the lowliest of the seven princes. His mother was framed, his birth is humble, and the world sees him as a frail, useless wretch fit only to be cast aside.
No one knows that for ten years he has endured humiliation, hidden his sharp edge, placed secret pieces, and woven a tight net, waiting in the depths of despair for his chance to slay the dragon.
The court is full of hidden currents, and every case conceals a killer. The palace is shrouded in darkness, and every step could be fatal.
The grain-transport scandal, the examination fraud, the string of poisonings, the secrets of the old palace... Each case is tied to the startling truth behind the former crown prince’s sudden death and his mother’s wrongful demise.
He uses mathematics to unravel mysteries, intelligence to decide who lives and dies, and political cunning to seize the realm. He plays the pig to eat the tiger, turning others into blades to strike at the heart, and upends the court without a sound.
Three powers stand opposed, two dragons face off, and the mastermind behind it all gradually reveals himself.
The prince who was once dismissed as dust finally reveals his dragon’s shadow. With a turn of his hand, he raises clouds; with another, he summons rain.
There is no kinship in imperial power, and no justice in the way of Heaven.
If fate is unjust, then I’ll take it into my own hands!
This vast realm, this supreme dragon throne: I, the emperor, am fate itself!
