Jinran

This is a story about holding on to your principles while navigating the royal court. I was sickly from childhood. When I was eleven, my master was framed and our home was confiscated. At thirteen, my father died and our family fortune was seized. At fourteen, my mother brought her illegitimate daughter into the household. At fifteen, I pledged myself to the empress. After that, I navigated the royal court, helping her root out treacherous officials and becoming the sharpest sword in her hand. But I was young and inexperienced, and had no idea how devious human nature could be. In the end, I was left blind, my martial arts destroyed. I devoted myself to the people and endured untold suffering, yet even my dreams could not come true. But what could I do? I was only a lowly princess, struggling to survive while a pack of wolves eyed me hungrily. I must give purpose to the world and a future to its people. Yet the treacherous ministers hated me to the core. In this vast world, it seems only fame and fortune can move people's hearts. But they failed to realize: Cunning beyond measure, they outsmarted themselves and brought about their own ruin. Crash! The great mansion came tumbling down, its light fading like a lamp about to go out. [This story features court intrigue, female-dominant society, dark themes, and ornate prose. Please don't read if these aren't for you.] [The heroine is Qiu Jinliang; the official love interest is Chu Ziran.] P.S. This blurb takes place before she is reborn. The first two chapters are set before her rebirth, and the story after that begins following her rebirth. The early chapters are a slow burn, but it picks up later, so don't drop it.