Scheming for the Palace

She should have continued living her own life under the grand title of princess, but the fall of the dynasty sent her before the Buddha, where she would spend her days by a lamp. As she looked at the dim chrysanthemum lantern and the beautiful hair about to be shorn, she chose to run away. But the hardships along the way showed her that the common world she had once thought a paradise was even more wretched...

Faced with the harsh reality of survival, she helplessly realized that all she could do was become a golden songbird. So she willingly returned to the palace eaves and pavilions, learning to use her mother's most alluring gestures to carve out a place of her own.

But as her schemes fanned the flames of her ambition, she realized she wanted more. At last, as she lifted the cup of jade-green wine, the corners of her lips curved into a dazzling smile. “From the very beginning, I wanted more than this... I want your palace! Your palace is what I've been plotting to claim! And your... empire!”

Qin Er's completed novels include Taking the Palace, The Palace's Heart, and Sinful Dance. Here's her new book!