Jiang Hengwu disguised herself as a man and went to war. She drove back the nations of the Western Regions, pacified the northern frontier, and earned countless military honors. Her whole family basked in her glory.
Her father was made Marquis of Weiyuan, with the title passing down through his descendants. Her mother received a first-rank noblewoman's title. Her younger brother became famous throughout the land and was made a fourth-rank general. The family went to the capital to enjoy their good fortune, while she stayed behind in Youzhou to recover from a deadly poison.
A year later, Jiang Hengwu arrived in the capital. Her mother favored her cousin, her father feared she would expose the truth and suppressed her at every turn, her younger brother wished her dead, and her grandmother watched from the sidelines. Even her childhood sweetheart preferred her cousin's lively, spirited nature and transferred his affections to her.
Jiang Hengwu cried and protested, only to be falsely accused of having gone mad!
They joined forces to kill her, poison her voice until she was mute, erase all traces of her existence, and sell her to an old man. She would rather die than submit, and perished in a raging fire.
Her resentment was so deep that she became a wandering ghost, drifting for five years and watching the Marquis's household bring about its own destruction!
She came back to life and set out for the capital once more. This time, blood would be repaid with blood!
Everyone in the capital knows that the Jiang family's legitimate daughter is gentle and kind, weak and easily bullied, with no one to rely on. Yet she caught the emperor's eye and became his sole favorite in the harem!
Qin Yuchuan knows perfectly well that Jiang Hengwu has no heart. She lies through her teeth and is full of schemes, yet her face is utterly bewitching, and her eyes are so pure and untainted that when she looks at him, they seem filled with love.
They use each other, bring down the great clans, purge the harem, and quell the rebellion. They are as close as people who have faced death together.
He is ruthless and brutal, looking down on the whole world, and gives the only bit of love in his heart to her.
But she couldn't care less. She leaves him behind and runs away.
Qin Yuchuan goes mad. "Awu, come back with me. Don't make me slaughter everyone!"