The Noblewoman of Northern Song Rises to Power Through Strategy

Song Zhiwei, an illegitimate daughter of the Song family, was selected to enter the palace at sixteen. Her mother died young, and her status as a concubine's daughter made her a target for endless bullying. On her first day in the inner palace, her legitimate elder sister framed her, and a breach of etiquette at a palace banquet got her banished to the Cold Palace.

In the Cold Palace, she encountered a down-and-out imperial physician and obtained secret remedies from an ancient book. She developed fragrances to treat illnesses and quietly rose to prominence. After she was falsely accused over a painting presented at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, she met a guard in the palace laundry quarters. Together, they stole evidence at night and cleared her name.

The emperor was captivated by her fragrance, but when he summoned her, an assassin appeared. She took a blade for him and was eventually made a Talented Lady. After taking charge of the Imperial Fragrance Bureau, she was targeted by the empress. When she was accused of secretly meeting a man, the guard risked his life to protect her.

From a discarded woman in the Cold Palace to serving tea before the emperor, she wielded fragrance as a blade and fought her way upward, step by step. This scheming queen endured and plotted, rising by seizing every opportunity. Her phoenix-like bearing was beginning to show. Amid the struggle for power, who would emerge on top?