One dream, and she awakens back at the beginning.
Zhen Huan opens her eyes to the first year of Yongzheng’s reign, to the red walls and white snow of the Forbidden City.
She thinks Heaven has given her a chance of her own, one that will let her avoid the emperor who once received her love in vain.
But as her gaze sweeps across the people in the hall, she sees the same storm of sorrow and farewell in the eyes of the empress, Consort Hua, and even her dear friend Meizhuang.
It turns out everyone in the palace has returned together, carrying the blood and tears of their past lives.
The emperor is still the same emperor, watching his beautiful new consorts with smug satisfaction. He thinks this will once again be a game of chess in which he holds the pieces and controls every move.
He doesn’t know that across the board, not a single piece remains.
The empress is no longer fixated on harming the imperial heirs. What she wants is the sole title of virtuous empress in the annals of history.
Consort Hua has renounced love. She and the Nian family quietly build their strength, intent on turning their blades against the man on the dragon throne.
Consort Duan, despite her frail health, takes the initiative and offers an alliance to her old enemy.
And Meizhuang forges the hardest armor for herself out of sheer indifference.
When everyone begins to play a part, the emperor becomes the sole spectator, and a prisoner on a lonely island.
In this life, they are no longer beasts trapped in a cage, tearing each other apart. Instead, they are co-conspirators who understand one another without a word. Their goal is remarkably clear:
Not to compete for favor or riches, but to live out an ending of their own choosing in the Forbidden City that imprisoned them all their lives.
The ruler of all under Heaven, seated upon the dragon throne, has yet to realize that he has become truly alone.
Will you still give your heart to the wrong person this time?
Or will you join hands to turn the tide
