In her previous life, Shen Mingtang, the legitimate daughter of the marquis's household, was doted on into ruin by her stepmother, had her betrothed stolen by her half-sister, and was used by her fiancé. In the end, she was sent into the palace as a disposable pawn. Her mother's family was executed, her elder brother died in battle, and she herself died miserably in the Cold Palace. Only as she lay dying did she learn that the young emperor Xiao Huaijing, whom she had gone out of her way to avoid, had wagered his empire just to save her life.
When she opened her eyes again, she was back at fifteen, on the day her marriage was being discussed. Even more strangely, she discovered that she had transmigrated from the modern world, and that after becoming caught up in the schemes of her previous life, she had forgotten where she came from.
This time, armed with the mindset of a modern project manager and the lessons of her past life, Shen Mingtang refuses to be anyone's pawn!
Her stepmother tries to ruin her? At a palace banquet, she presents the letters proving the stepmother has been secretly meeting another man to the old madam, and strikes back with a vengeance!
Her half-sister steals her betrothed? She happily lets her have him, sending that good-for-nothing young heir home to marry her and straight into a fiery pit!
The empress dowager wants to use her as a pawn? She carefully plans every move and leaves everyone in the harem on edge.
The only thing she didn't anticipate was that the frail, aloof young emperor would become the biggest wildcard on her chessboard.
The noble consort mocks her for her ill-omened origins. The next day, she's confined to her quarters.
The empress makes her kneel in the snow. The emperor personally holds an umbrella over her and abolishes an old rule of the six palaces.
The empress dowager gives her an abortion potion. The emperor knocks the bowl away on the spot. “Since when does anyone else get to dictate how my wife is treated?”
But Shen Mingtang doesn't believe the emperor's feelings are sincere. After a palace coup, she leaves him a divorce letter and heads for Jiangnan.
At last, the emperor, who has always been proud and restrained, loses his composure. He pursues her for a thousand miles and kneels in the rain outside her old home.
“Your Majesty, do you want the empire, or me?”
“The empire may bring peace to all under heaven, but only you can bring peace to my heart.”
