The Empress's Decree

Original title: She Lay Low for Ten Years to Avenge Her Mother, Then Rose to Claim the Eastern Palace

She should have been a pampered noble daughter, spending her life turning pages and grinding ink, free of a care in the world.

Fifteen years ago, her father, born into a poor family, married a woman from a powerful clan to climb the social ladder.

It was only because the woman from the powerful clan said she disliked a man burdened with a family.

So her father plotted to throw his wife and daughter into a den of bandits, where they were tortured to death.

On a stormy night, her pregnant mother fought with all her strength to carve out a path to safety for her.

That night, the five-year-old girl, covered in wounds, stepped out of hell amid her mother's agonized screams, only to enter the palace's labyrinthine walls.

After ten years in hiding, the new emperor is holding a selection today, and she has become Auntie Shen, the respected chief palace maid who serves at the emperor's side.

This time, she will cut off every escape route for her worthless father, starting with the daughter he sent into the palace for the selection.