Phoenix Ashes on the Palace Walls

[Marriage by Proxy | Political Scheming | Tragic Romance | Empress with Power | Bittersweet Ending]

Beneath blazing red candles and a procession stretching ten miles, it should have been the legitimate daughter of the Shen family who married into the prince’s residence.

To keep her family safe, Shen Zhiwei, a daughter born to a concubine, is forced to marry in her place, becoming a pawn sent to take her sister’s place.

The Seventh Prince, Xiao Heng, is deep and calculating, with eyes set only on power over the realm. He knows she is a substitute, yet accepts the marriage all the same, using the Shen family’s military forces to scheme his way toward the throne.

Swords flash in the prince’s residence, and the court is rocked by upheaval.

She conceals her talents, manages the household, and unravels conspiracies. With her own political acumen, she accompanies him through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, helping him ascend to the throne.

When she is crowned empress, the phoenix seal in her hand, she holds the highest rank and great power. The six palaces bow before her, and the court fears and respects her.

But beneath all that glory, she remains the stand-in who married in her sister’s place.

In the emperor’s heart, there is still a place for her elder sister.

She plans his realm for thousands of miles and wins every worldly honor, yet she cannot win a single ounce of his true affection.

The palace walls tower high, and the phoenix crown weighs heavy. It turns out that the highest throne is nothing more than a cage that imprisons her for life.