A massacre that wiped out an entire family. A blood feud that demands repayment.
Yin Zhengyuan, Vice Minister of Revenue, was falsely accused of treason and his whole family was sentenced to death. His only daughter, Yin Zhijin, narrowly escaped. Taking the name Yin Yunqing, she entered the palace as a maid. She swore to make her enemies, Empress’s father Jiang Boyong and her brother Jiang Huaiyuan, pay for their crimes in blood.
The first step in her revenge was to catch the attention of the reigning emperor, Ling Yu.
Ling Yu ascended the throne as a young man. Cold and joyless, he had three thousand beauties in his harem, yet not one could warm his heart. He lived surrounded by endless schemes, and even the empress at his side was an adversary he had to guard against. Then a maid appeared, seemingly fragile but inwardly strong, and for the first time in years, his frozen heart began to thaw.
But Yin Yunqing had approached him at first only for revenge.
In the imperial harem, Empress Jiang Liuxuan was cunning and ruthless, Noble Consort An Suying’s origins were shrouded in mystery, Consort De was arrogant and domineering, and Consort Shu hid her true nature. The factions were deeply intertwined, and every step was a dance on the edge of a blade.
The palace was an ocean, its vermilion walls a cage.
As vengeful love and true affection intertwine, and the truth behind the stand-in slowly comes to light, can she survive to the end within these walls that devour all who enter? Can he learn to trust and love?
And what roles will the Seventh Prince Ling Feng, who protects her from the shadows, and the high-ranking official Jiang Wei play in this game of power?
The sky within the palace walls is never clear.
This is a story of revenge, love, political intrigue, and redemption.
