In her previous life, Lin Wanqing was praised by all as a virtuous empress.
The legitimate daughter of a military family, she devoted her clan’s full strength to helping Shen Yuyuan ascend the throne and secure the court. As empress, she fulfilled her duties and managed the imperial harem, giving him her whole heart for more than a decade. In return, she received nothing but utter coldness and betrayal.
A single imperial edict deposed her and sent her to the freezing cold palace. She watched with her own eyes as her loyal family was falsely branded traitors, their blood staining the execution grounds as they were wiped out. She, too, died full of hatred amid the winter snow.
Reborn in a bath of blood, she returns to the night before her coronation.
One death is all it takes to shatter her devotion and extinguish her love!
In this life, she will not vie for the emperor’s favor, fight for the phoenix crown, or stoop to the harem’s petty schemes!
A white lotus frames her? She sees it coming, tears off the hypocritical mask, and never holds back when meting out face-slapping and revenge.
The emperor tries to manipulate her to keep the court in balance? She plays weak and hides her abilities, gets a firm grip on all his vulnerabilities, and steadily eats away at the foundations of imperial power.
While the concubines are still fighting tooth and nail for favor, Lin Wanqing has already stepped beyond the palace’s game of chess. She gathers allies, takes control of the harem, infiltrates the court, and seizes command of the military.
The world believes a deposed empress who has lost her power can never rise again.
Little do they know that she has cast aside the empty title of empress to lay claim to the vast realm!
One day, all imperial power will be in her hands, and the emperor will be nothing but a puppet. As a deposed empress, Lin Wanqing will rule above the nine halls, becoming an uncrowned sovereign no one can challenge!
