Shen Qingci was the least noticed of the concubine-born daughters. Her stepmother said that, to bring good fortune to the dying old marquis, she would be sent to marry him next month. If the ritual failed, she would be buried alive with him.
She had meant to accept her fate, but for three nights in a row she dreamed the same nightmare: dressed in bridal robes, she was forced to drink medicine and died in front of the mourning hall.
Only when she found blue stone in the old marquis's discarded medicine did she realize it wasn't a nightmare, but a premonition. Even more incredibly, she could hear other people's thoughts.
Her stepmother wore a loving smile, but thought, "This nuisance has to die before the wedding." Xiao Yingying smiled as she offered tea, thinking, "There's poison in the tea. Go on, drink it."
There wasn't a single good person in the entire household.
After taking stock, Shen Qingci realized the only person who could save her was the marquis's most dangerous wastrel, Xiao Hansheng. He appeared to be lost in wine and women, but in truth controlled a network of hidden guards and commercial routes. He was the real power behind the entire marquis household.
She broke into his study at night and struck a deal with him: he would help her survive, and she would find out the truth behind the old marquis's poisoning.
Xiao Hansheng looked down at her, his fingertip brushing a little rouge from her lips. "Just like your mother, your eyes shine when you're asking for help."
That night, she learned that he had always kept a keepsake from her birth mother hidden in his sleeve. He had waited for news of her for ten whole years.
Household intrigue? She used mind-reading to counter every move. Poisoning? She used silver needles to investigate a three-year-old case. Faking her death to escape, striking back at her stepmother, clearing her birth mother's name...
Everyone said the Xiao family's wastrel had married an ill-fated concubine-born girl.
Later, the whole capital knew the truth: that "ill-fated girl" sat in the seat of honor in the marquis's main hall, a token granting command of the hidden guards tucked at her waist, while Xiao Hansheng poured her tea himself.
