As Shen Zhaoning lay dying from the poison administered by her husband and elder half-sister, she finally learned that her mother’s “illness” ten years earlier had also been murder.
When she opened her eyes again, she had returned to five years ago, three days before her coming-of-age ceremony. Nothing had happened yet.
The poison doctor’s handbook from Su Wentang, left behind by her mother, awakened when she was reborn. Her memories of the five years she had lived in her previous life became her greatest weapon. She was no longer the obedient, long-suffering legitimate daughter of the marquis’s household, waiting for others to control her fate.
Step one: Clean house. She would expose and topple them one by one: her stepmother Madam Liu’s disguise, her elder half-sister Shen Zhaohua’s schemes, and the scumbag Pei Jingxing’s probing questions.
Step two: Enter the capital. Her mastery of poison and medicine would win her the friendship of the Grand Princess and make her famous throughout the capital. There, she would meet Prince Jing Xiao Yan, who was making his own plans in the shadows. Two hunters recognized one another as kindred spirits in the dark.
Step three: Uncover the truth. Her mother’s death would lead to a political conspiracy from sixteen years ago, where poisoncraft, political scheming, and the struggle for the throne were intricately intertwined. She would fight her way from the inner courtyards to the royal court, toppling everyone who had schemed against her.
She thought all she wanted was justice. But the truth was far bigger than she imagined: the person seated at the very top had known everything from the beginning.
In my previous life, I was a pawn. In this life, I’m the one moving the pieces. With my own hands, I’ll turn the court upside down and stir up a storm, all for a world worthy of one clear note.
