She was Liang's sharpest blade, ordered to infiltrate the imperial palace of Qi and assassinate the powerful Grand Princess.
He was the Grand Princess's most favored male companion, gentle and obedient. No one knew what lay beneath his mask.
The moment her dagger touched his throat, her veil fluttered away and his disguise shattered. On opposite sides of the blade stood two betrothed lovers who had been missing each other for nearly a year.
Jiang Wanzhi and Rong Xun were both elite assassins trained by “Guan Shanhai.” They had grown up together and pledged to marry. A year ago, Rong Xun went to Qi on a diplomatic mission. Their letters grew sparse, then stopped altogether. She received a secret order to assassinate Qi's Lord Yide, with his whereabouts as her reward. He received a secret order to infiltrate Lord Yide's inner circle, with marriage as his reward for completing the mission.
Two secret orders, one imperial seal, and two blades aimed at each other.
At last, they understood: they had never been the players moving the pieces, but pawns cast onto the board.
When the true mastermind finally emerged from behind the scenes, could two birds trapped in a cage escape the fate already written for them?
A wise bird chooses its tree, but she would never roost on a branch chosen for her by someone else.
