The day Shen Zhiyi was sentenced to death, blood stained the white silk, and not a soul in the court dared speak. When she opens her eyes again, she is back on the night before her execution. This time, she will not beg to live. She will bring down this murderous imperial power. Xie Yunzheng breaks his vows and takes up the blade for her; Zhou Yanqiu rekindles the cause of public discourse; and Yun Niang gives her life to pass on a secret. Meanwhile, the hidden struggle between Empress Xiao Lingyi and Prince of Zhen'nan Jiang Yuzhao is pushing Shen Zhiyi straight into the eye of the storm. She makes her life a chess piece and her blood the ink, writing a history that will overturn the imperial system. On the day the whole court kneels and begs her to ascend the throne, she asks only one question: “Who still deserves to sit on this dragon throne?”
