Shen Yan, the youngest daughter of the Shen family, was raised by her maternal aunt as if she were the legitimate son.
As she grew older, fate left her with only two choices:
Reveal her identity and marry whomever her clan chose for her;
or conceal her identity as a woman, bind her hair up, and sit the imperial examinations in a scholar’s robe, fighting her way into government to claim a life of her own.
She resolutely chose the latter.
Born to a poor family, she has no connections to support her in court. She is slender and delicate in appearance, and her feminine bearing puts her at a disadvantage whenever she passes as a man. She transmigrated with the literary knowledge she gained in her previous life, but knows nothing of political schemes and intrigues. Her road ahead is full of thorns.
Her true identity, which she must never reveal, is the greatest danger concealed beneath her official robes.
After ten years of studying by lamplight and a long, uncertain career in government, the once frail scholar fights her way upward, step by step, until she reaches the heart of the court, clad in crimson and holding power from a position of high office.
Courtly rivalries, political maneuvering, and hidden feelings come one after another. How will Shen Yan, now in a position of power, stay true to herself, protect the secret she has kept for so many years, and see this perilous career in government through to the end?
Very well written, I like it very much
The male cp was once engaged to someone else. He was also talking privately to this person's sister who had a crush on him, and was caught by the protagonist.