Riding hard and singing freely, he was a dashing young man. From the first moment she saw him, she knew this boy would never leave her heart in this lifetime.
She is the daughter of a general. When an enemy nation invades, her father is sent to the battlefield in a moment of crisis. She secretly follows him into battle. After her father and brothers are wounded, she lays a series of traps and defeats the enemy at Phoenix Mountain.
The enemy retreats, the realm is saved, and the emperor is delighted, richly rewarding the general's household.
On her way back to the capital, she hears that the emperor and empress dowager intend to choose a man from among the capital's noble sons and arrange a marriage for the general's daughter.
She has three older brothers, but she is her parents' only daughter.
Rumor has it that two young men in the capital are the foremost candidates for her hand.
One is a son of a noble clan, an idle wastrel who knows only how to eat, drink, and chase pleasure, a ridiculous playboy who was spoiled rotten and left without discipline.
The other is the young maternal uncle of the emperor, from the family of the empress's father. His talent surpasses everyone in the capital, his reputation is renowned throughout the land, and he is the one man every woman pursues with all her heart.
The whole capital is abuzz over her marriage.
The emperor and empress dowager are at odds, and the court officials each have their own opinions.
Who will she choose?
Imperial authority, the nobles at court, even her own father: no matter who it is, none of them gets to decide.
Though she was born to riches and raised in luxury, she does not stay hidden in the women's quarters. Skilled in strategy and military affairs, with brilliance in her heart, she will decide the course of her own life.
The man she takes as her husband must be the one who makes her heart beat.
A contest of wits, the realm as the wager, a beauty's schemes, a battle of cunning beneath painted brows.
I have spent many years in this world, and my original aspiration remains unchanged. Writing, and writing good stories, has always been what I want to do. No matter when, I am always someone devoted to writing. I bring you my new story as promised, and thank you, dear readers, for returning as promised. My hot tea and your warm enthusiasm: let us share a cup of new tea and enjoy scenery as beautiful as a painting.
