Zhu Menning

It was late spring in the seventeenth year of Yong'an. Shen Zhaoning knelt in the Shen family ancestral hall because a cat belonging to his aunt was lost. She was the most inconspicuous concubine of the Shen family - her mother was born as a maid, her father could not speak ten words to her all year round, and her aunt's maid dared to bring the leftovers from the previous night to her table. Over the past fourteen years, she has learned one thing: in this wealthy courtyard, right or wrong is not important, what is important is who gave birth to you. Until the prince made a decree - to choose a female maid to read. The aristocratic families in Beijing rushed to send their daughters to participate in the election. The legitimate daughters of the British Duke's Palace and the granddaughters of the Prime Minister's Palace were all ladies from famous families and their talents were known far and wide. No one noticed that the Shen family had a concubine. Three out of fourteen students were selected for the three-level examination. Policy discussions, decisions, palace examinations - Shen Zhaoning did not choose books, seals, flowers, or gold. She chose a knife. "If you hold the knife in your own hand, no one can take it away." The prince glanced at her from behind the bead curtain, and that was the first time she knew that there was someone in this world who would laugh because she told the truth. After entering the East Palace, she realized that what the prince wanted to investigate was not just a few corrupt officials, but an entire intricate chain of interests. Secret messages of opposition from the DPRK and China flew in like snowflakes - the first one came from her biological father. But the prince only said four words: "Prove it to them." This is the story of a concubine living step by step in the deep palace and court, and it is also the story of a woman holding a knife to protect herself in a patriarchal world. Zhao Ming An Ning - her name is Shen Zhao Ning. In this life, she wants to earn the word "Ning" with her own hands.