Spring Runs Deep in the Jade Hall

At twelve, Gu Heng is summoned back to her aristocratic clan by an imperial decree. There, she learns that her twin brother has died suddenly and that she must disguise herself as a boy and take his place. Beneath the Gu family's grand halls and lofty mansions lurk deadly dangers: Madam Cui watches her like a hawk, her sickly elder brother is unfathomable, and Xie Yan, the Left Chancellor who can turn the court upside down, looks at her with ever more inscrutable eyes.

"Remember, you are Gu Mingzhang now." Her father places a jade crown on her head. "If your cover is blown, the person at the estate won't survive either."

Within and beyond the palace walls, she must imitate her late brother's unruly ways while guarding against the Third Prince's probing questions. Then war breaks out on the frontier, and Gu Heng uncovers the truth through the words of an old retainer: the Xie family's massacre was the result of a deal between the Gu and Cui families.

"My lord, Xie Yan has surrounded the Gu residence with the imperial guards!"

By flickering candlelight, Gu Heng cuts off her long hair and throws the jade crown at the foot of the stairs. "If I have to live as a man, then I'll be the one at the very top."