In the final years of the Great Xia dynasty, Luoyang falls, and talented heroes rise across the land. An ambitious consort plots to murder the emperor and take the throne. A virtuous prince bears the hopes of the people. A folk religion has been scheming for years. Powerful in-laws hold members of the imperial clan hostage. And foreign tribes watch hungrily, invading amid the chaos...
In such turbulent times, Yan Chuhe is no more than a commoner. Once, all she cared about was carving. Now, because she bears a slight resemblance to a deceased princess who was sent away in marriage, she has no choice but to negotiate with all the competing factions.
Trusting the general who shows her kindness would probably mean being disguised as the princess and used as a pawn to provoke war between two nations.
Choosing the heir apparent who investigates her in secret would likely make her no more than bait to lure out the remnants of the previous dynasty, with no happy ending in sight.
With things as they are, Yan Chuhe heads to the capital overnight and changes her appearance. She will use the only skill she has to seize every opportunity and carve out a chance to survive for herself. Thus she eliminates villains, avenges her blood kin, and, after many twists and turns, somehow earns the right to choose a wise ruler for the realm
Only, as she weighs her options, she realizes she wouldn't feel at ease handing the realm over to anyone.
The factions have been plotting for a long time. They come to her one after another, seeking her power, her face, and the influence of the previous dynasty behind her...
An idea is taking root and growing wildly.
Why can't she be the emperor herself?
Of course, later historians omit her selfish motives, recording only a few brief lines:
[The founding empress loved carving and had no desire for power. But the realm was in turmoil, and the ministers bowed before her. The emperor refused the throne time and again, but, out of concern for the people, could not escape her fate.]
About the Male Lead
Lu Fei, heir to the Marquis of Wuchang, considers himself no coward, yet the same woman has frightened him three times.
The first time they met, beneath a dark and windy sky, an ordinary village girl was kind and gentle, smiling warmly. By the time he came to his senses, he had been poisoned. The next time, they met in the wilderness. He meant to play the hero and rescue a damsel in distress, only for the woman to turn around and kill her witness, swift and clean.
The third time they met was at court in the capital of Luoyang. A female official appeared out of nowhere, aiding the wicked consort and meddling in power. She opposed him at every turn. He recognized her. It was still her.
He was thoroughly shaken.
He was trying to figure out how to deal with this female official, who wouldn't be swayed by any offer, and was both an enemy and an old acquaintance, when, after a palace banquet one day, she pulled him aside.
Yan Chuhe's eyes, usually so cool and composed, wavered as she looked at him. She stammered, but couldn't get a word out.
Lu Fei suddenly recalled a rumor: the woman had a "friend" she'd searched for over many years, someone she'd met a few times before he suddenly disappeared. Everyone was certain that he must be the man she loved but could never have.
They had met years ago, and he had shown her kindness. Surely that could only mean Lu Fei himself! But to use his looks to win her favor, even for the sake of the realm's people
His mind went blank. Without a second thought, he gave the performance of his life and answered for her:
"Chuhe, I've searched for you for so long."
*The male lead really does pretend to be her idealized first love. The real idealized first love isn't a source of angst. The truth is a little fantastical, and we won't spoil it here.
*An idealistic, brilliant, unhinged common-born woman who becomes empress vs. a seemingly composed but deeply insecure wolfdog who pretends to be her idealized first love. One-on-one romance.
Theme: Conceal your abilities and wait for the right moment.
