A brilliant modern military engineer is reborn in the body of Zhao Defang, the fourth princess, who was raised as a boy by Emperor Taizu of Song. On the night her father, Zhao Kuangyin, dies under mysterious circumstances, her uncle Zhao Guangyi rushes to the throne and closes in on her from all sides. Drawing on insights far ahead of her time, Zhao Defang sees through one assassination attempt and frame-up after another, then flees with her brother Zhao Dezhao and younger sister, Princess Yongqing, who are also being hunted.
To protect herself, she becomes a disciple of Chen Tuan, the legendary master of Mount Hua, and hones unmatched martial skills. At the same time, she quietly establishes her own secret organization in the martial world: Dark Fragrance.
Foreseeing the economic and political tensions of the early Song dynasty, she reaches out to the powerful northwest clans, the She and Yang families. Using modern business partnerships built on mutual benefit, she helps them consolidate their strength and gradually brings them into her camp. At court, she uses unconventional tactics such as public opinion and economic warfare to undermine Zhao Guangyi’s rule.
In the end, she must make the ultimate choice between avenging her father and establishing a new order.
