In her previous life, she was Consort Xi, the Emperor's most beloved woman. In the end, she was nothing more than the "shadow of someone from the past" in his heart.
Reborn, Zhen Huan opens her eyes on the eve of the selection. A touch lets her read minds, while dreams reveal inescapable fates.
On her first day in the palace, she hears the Emperor's obsession with his old love and sees the murderous intent beneath the Empress's smile.
This time, she will neither compete for favor nor abase herself. She will use the Emperor's favor as a cover while making her moves on the chessboard:
An Lingrong's insecurity, Consort Hua's infatuation, and the Empress's schemes are all laid bare to her.
Everyone thinks she is trying to secure the Emperor's favor, but she is dismantling the prison that holds them all.
When the Emperor finally realizes he can no longer read or control this woman, the rules of the Forbidden City will already have been rewritten by her.
And what she wants has never been this palace. It is the person outside its gates who is willing to pursue freedom by her side.
