In the final years of the Zhenguan era, rain falls over the Yeting Palace.
Censor Su Wenyuan records the truth without fear, exposing a major embezzlement scandal involving military funds in Longyou. In a single day, he is convicted and his entire family is ruined. His only daughter, Su Jinzhao, becomes a convict slave, trapped in the Yeting Palace with nothing but a worn brush and the integrity she gained from studying history.
Crown Prince Li Zhi recognizes her talent and makes an exception to appoint her to the History Bureau. Within the vermilion palace walls, scrolls conceal blades and powerful clans weave their nets. Changsun Wuji commands the Guanzhong aristocrats and alters the official history with his own hand, covering up the mountain of evidence from that old case.
Everyone says that women must not meddle in politics and historians must not question imperial authority. But Su Jinzhao wields ink as a blade and documents as evidence, navigating the struggle between imperial power and the great families. She seeks only to clear her family's name, bring the altered history to light, and fight for a chance at survival for the humble people who have no voice beneath the prosperous age.
As a female historian, she takes charge of the annals of Zhenguan and faces the shifting tides of the court.
