The Guarjia Clan: A Tale of Red Walls and Shattered Jade

In the forty-seventh year of the Kangxi reign, the first snow of the season blanketed the vermilion eaves of the Shengjing Beile residence. Suwan Guaerjia Yuti climbed into a carriage bound for the capital, now the secondary wife of Prince Yong, Yinzhen. Born the legitimate daughter of a banner family, she carried the proud spirit of the Suwan Guaerjia clan in her blood. She was also Zhen Huan's cousin, though the two had never met, and beneath her reserve lay a severity utterly unlike the gentle grace of the women of Jiangnan. Most of all, she was a rare clear-eyed woman in the depths of the manor. From the moment she crossed the threshold of Prince Yong's residence, she knew there would be no peace behind those red walls. Only by treading carefully could she protect her family's honor and take her fate into her own hands.

As the concubines vied for favor, she used etiquette as her shield and wit as her blade, deftly deflecting Zhang Gege's provocations and managing the household affairs with care, leaving Yinzhen free of worries at court. At palace banquets, she played the pipa with such grace and spirit that she won the favor of both the Empress and Kangxi, while quietly discerning where the members of the imperial clan stood. Amid the swirling currents of power, she secured her footing. She watched her cousin Zhen Huan enter the palace and Yinzhen struggle through the bloody battle among the nine princes for the throne. Always playing the part of his capable helpmate, she stood behind him, yet in private she laid out a game of her own. The empty title of Princess Consort was never what she wanted. She wanted the phoenix throne, from which she could look down over the Forbidden City, and the power of the Empress Dowager, able to determine her family's rise or fall.