In her previous life, Xie Yun was a golden canary in a cage. The powerful minister Pei Jing used her as a pawn and placed her on the phoenix throne, then kept her under house arrest until she died.
Reborn on the eve of the selection ceremony at age sixteen, she tears up her application and disguises herself as a man. In this life, she will sit the imperial examinations and reach the height of the court through her own abilities.
She places highly at every stage, from the provincial exams to the metropolitan and palace exams. At the palace examination, she reveals her identity as a woman before the entire court, causing an uproar. The young puppet emperor, Xiao Heng, overrules all objections and makes an exception to appoint her as an official.
But she soon discovers that Xiao Heng is also reborn. More astonishing still, Pei Jing, who holds sway over the entire court, has memories of his previous life as well.
Three people reborn, three sets of old grievances, and a life-and-death struggle for power.
Xie Yun carves out a path through a sea of men, rising from a seventh-rank editor to a first-rank chancellor, from standing alone to having students throughout the court.
When she finally reaches the pinnacle of power, Xiao Heng offers her a phoenix crown. “Be my empress.”
Xie Yun accepts the chancellor’s seal and smiles faintly. “I am your chancellor first.”
