Medicine for the Cold Palace

Archaeologist Su Jin died when a Han dynasty tomb collapsed. When she awoke, she had become a low-ranking concubine in the harem of the Great Jing, one who had "died of illness" just seven days after entering the palace.

What 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 knife, a smile was a blade, and imperial favor was like drinking poison to quench thirst.

She survived with a medical notebook her mother had secretly hidden, and made her way with her skill at identifying poisons. From a side hall in the Cold Palace, to the Ministry of War's Martial Academy, to the bloody battle before Chengming Hall, what she wanted was never favor, but a way to survive that she could carve out for herself.

She stood beside the emperor, missed her chance with a prince, found understanding with a swordsman, and placed her trust in a merchant. Four relationships, and not one could have a happy ending for everyone.