Archaeologist Su Jin died in the collapse of a Han dynasty tomb. When she woke, she had become a low-ranking concubine in the harem of the Great Jing dynasty, one who had supposedly "died of illness" just seven days after entering the palace.
The lot she inherited was a sickly body, a family that had abandoned her, and a palace that could kill her at any moment. Medicine was a blade, smiles were knives, and imperial favor was a poison she had to drink to quench her thirst.
She survived with the help of her mother's secretly hidden Medical Notes, and established herself through her ability to recognize poison. From a secluded palace annex, to the Ministry of War's martial arts academy, to the bloody battle before Chengming Hall that night, what she wanted was never imperial favor, but a way to survive that she could forge herself.
She stands alongside an emperor, misses her chance with a prince, finds understanding with a swordsman, and entrusts herself to a merchant. There are four romances, and not one of them can have a happy ending for everyone.
