The Bronze Sparrow Records

Two hundred and ten years after the founding of Dayong, the entire army stationed at the northern frontier is wiped out overnight. The commander and his entire family are sentenced to death, and the case is closed with a verdict of treason. The sole surviving young son, Lu Zheng, goes into hiding and slips into the capital with half of a broken Bronze Sparrow Tally, determined to expose the truth buried beneath the sands all those years ago. The capital seethes with intrigue: the princes vie for the throne, and the great clans are deeply entrenched. He only wants to take revenge alone, but unexpectedly crosses paths with Ling Shu, the woman in charge of the Secret Intelligence Bureau, feared by all.

People say she is cold-hearted and ruthless, with no weaknesses, but no one knows that she holds the other half of the Bronze Sparrow Tally and bears the burden of another long-buried case. From testing each other and plotting against one another, the two are forced to join hands and enter the fray. Blades flash in court, and hidden arrows fly through the martial world. Every step leads to a deadly trap. Lu Zheng wants to clear his family's name; Ling Shu wants justice for the dead. When the storm of succession engulfs all of Dayong, the two discover that this game was set in motion twenty years ago. Love or country: which matters more?