The Defeated Young Master Escapes His Canary Existence

Female-Dominated Political Intrigue | Fallen Prince Hostage x Iron-Blooded Princess | Substitute Trope | A Cage and Mutual Surrender

After Southern Chu fell, its second prince, Shen Che, became a prisoner of war. He was taken back to the palace by Xiao Jinyao, the third princess of Great Zhao's cavalry, and confined to Listening Rain Pavilion as her consort.

Everyone said he was a gilded trophy. Only later did they learn he was nothing but a substitute, chosen because his features resembled A Yan, the boy Xiao Jinyao had lost in her childhood.

Outwardly a gentle, obedient canary, he concealed knowledge of medicine, poison, military strategy, and plans to restore his kingdom. Wearing a mask of docility, he navigated the inner palace, protecting himself and his few remaining allies while secretly plotting his escape from this cage woven of silk and brocade.

But fate delighted in its own cruel jokes. Shen Che gradually discovered that the long-remembered beloved, A Yan, was none other than himself, from the days when he had traveled the borderlands.

Xiao Jinyao was trapped by her fixation on the past. She coldly insisted he was nothing but a possession, yet couldn't stop protecting him or lying awake all night worrying about him. She couldn't tell whether she longed for the illusion of days gone by or for the quietly suffering young man before her.

Dark currents surged through the palace. The Crown Prince watched like a hawk, while old allies waited for their moment to act.

Would he remain trapped in a golden cage, lost in feelings impossible to distinguish from pretense, or cut his ties and pursue the road to restoring his kingdom?

On a long, snowy night, the canary broke free from its cage. Behind him, the princess rode a hundred miles on horseback, chasing after him with a plea.

Inside and outside the cage, friend and foe were hard to tell apart. From that moment on, love, hatred, and the fate of their kingdoms became pieces in a game of strategy.