The Abandoned Wife Strikes Back

Divorced at eighteen, Pei Yuluan returns to her family home only to face cold stares. With her family in decline and her husband heartless, she endures the humiliation and vows to turn her life around. With her grandmother's secret support, she enters the marquis's residence as a servant and carefully plans each step.

After being humiliated by the legitimate daughter and manipulated by an old matron, she sets a clever trap and turns the tables. She wins the marquis's favor and takes charge of the household.

She enters the palace as an official and gets caught up in court intrigues. The Empress Dowager takes a liking to her, and the emperor falls for her, but she refuses the title of consort, seeking only power.

From discarded wife to ruler of the imperial harem, her gentle, beloved facade conceals a sickly, scheming heart. A golden hairpin stirs the tea; a red handkerchief hides her lips. Who can tell that her smile conceals a blade?

Amid the marquis's household intrigues, palace coups, and border negotiations, she plans every move and stirs the fate of the realm all on her own.

Her former husband regrets everything, while the emperor is willing to take poison and follow her. In this life, she does not fight for favor. She fights for her life.