On the night the late emperor died suddenly, the empress and the twelve-year-old crown prince perished with him.
Seven days later, the new emperor ascended the throne.
Nine-year-old Xie Qingwan crawled out of a secret passage, clutching a small pouch.
She herself had no idea what was hidden inside.
With shadow puppets tucked in her sleeves and a jade flute in her arms, she was the final piece her mother had placed in the secret passage at the cost of her life.
She entered the Palace Laundry Bureau as a junior palace maid. She sought no favor, made no claim about her identity, and stayed out of court politics. She simply searched for the lost things, one by one.
Six boxes. Six shadow puppets.
Threads of soul intertwined in secret. Those caught in the game were each other's calamity and the answer to each other's riddles.
When everything was put back in its place, the dead would speak.
