[A bold, resourceful princess and a scheming son born out of wedlock]
Although Mu Huazhang's birth mother is unknown, she is the founding emperor's only child.
The emperor has no sons, and everyone says that whoever marries Princess Zhaoyi will be the next heir to the throne.
But Princess Zhaoyi has never lived in the palace. People know the emperor has a princess, but very few have ever seen her.
#
The capital is abuzz: Princess Zhaoyi, known by name but never seen, is about to arrive.
The capital's great families are all gearing up, hoping one of their sons will win the princess's favor.
Mu Huazhang seems to have been blessed with every good thing in the world. Yet ever since arriving in the capital, she has felt as if a pair of enormous eyes were watching her every move, with every step she takes caught up in someone else's schemes.
Mu Huazhang does many things that defy convention, drawing endless criticism. To the person pulling the strings, they are no more than ripples on the surface of the water. But how could ripples overturn a great ship?
The one behind the scenes manipulates changes in the court, wielding power as if it were a plaything. Just as they believe everything is under their control,
Mu Huazhang says, "Even a chess piece can become the player. I'll keep playing this game."
#
In a shadowy room, a chess piece lands on the board. A confident, contemptuous voice says, "A chess piece should know its place. No matter what, you'll remain in the palm of my hand."
Mu Huazhang stands proud and says, "Even as a chess piece, I want to be one with a mind of its own, one that can decide where it goes."
#
Red bed curtains hang in layers around the bed, where two intertwined figures can just barely be made out.
Ji Fansheng pins Mu Huazhang between his arms and the bed, his gaze devout. "Princess, could you please consider me?"
Mu Huazhang's eyes redden at the corners. Hearing his words, she laughs softly and says like a seductress, "I don't want to."
As she speaks, she loops her arms around Ji Fansheng's neck and murmurs in his ear, "I won't take responsibility."
Theme: Even a chess piece can overturn the board.
