In the Great Yao Dynasty, women are forbidden from taking the imperial examinations or entering government service.
Yet Shen Zhibai insists on taking the path to high office while living as a man.
She is the orphaned survivor of the fallen Shen family, burdened by the old case of her father's wrongful death and hiding a secret no one can ever know. From the cold nights of study at the academy to earning honors at court, from entrenched local corruption to political storms in the capital, she makes her name through her writing and breaks deadlocks with her achievements, carefully navigating the game between powerful clans and imperial authority.
Not a single court official knows that this celebrated young talent, renowned throughout the land, is a woman.
Only when the truth comes to light does she realize that what she must win is not merely an examination, an old case, or an official post.
She will rise above the high ministers and rewrite the rules of the realm with her own hands.
Theme: Above the high ministers
