Synopsis: The Mighty Eastern Palace
In the third year of Jian Yuan under the Western Qin, the parents of Shui Mushan, a farmer's daughter known as A-Shan, were killed in the war. Burning with a desire for revenge, she assumed a false identity, entered the palace, and went undercover in the Imperial Kitchen, waiting for a chance to assassinate the tyrant Mo Ranqing. But when she finally stood before her enemy, she saw that his sinister eyes were exactly like those of Feng Liunian, the young Northern Frontier prince she had saved when she was ten.
Ten years ago, the frail young prince had wandered into Qingshan Village. A-Shan had protected and comforted him. When they were separated by a rebel army, all she found was a bloodstained jade pendant, and she thought he had died. Now Mo Ranqing's strange tests, a bowl of chicken noodle soup and the way he reached to catch a bowl, were tearing away the disguise.
The truth came to light: Mo Ranqing was Feng Liunian, and he had disguised himself as a tyrant to lull the powerful chancellor into a false sense of security. The chancellor himself had started the war that killed A-Shan's parents. Torn between family vengeance and old affection, A-Shan found herself at an impasse. Then a final letter arrived from Feng Liushang, Feng Liunian's sister, in Northern Di. Forced into a political marriage, she was in mortal danger amid the grasslands' struggle for power.
The three reunited and joined forces on a journey to rescue her in Northern Di, find the Eastern Li treasure, and bring down the chancellor. A-Shan was born with superhuman strength and excelled at both cooking and martial arts. Feng Liunian endured humiliation while plotting every move. Feng Liushang transformed from a spoiled imperial princess into a lone wolf of the grasslands. Amid war and conspiracy, the three rebuilt their bond. In the end, they overthrew the chancellor, unified the Northern Frontier and Western Qin, and founded the Great Yan Dynasty.
