In the chaos of the Northern Zhou, Dugu Jialuo learns on her wedding night that her father has been convicted of a crime. She and her husband, Yang Jian, go from mutual suspicion to entrusting themselves to each other and founding a dynasty together. But once they share power over the realm and neither is willing to yield, even the closest of spouses become political enemies, sharing a bed but dreaming different dreams. And the heir she chose for the empire will become the greatest mistake of her life.
