The merciless Emperor Xiao Xun had annihilated the entire Chu clan and personally strangled his Empress. Yet, inexplicably, she was reborn—on the very morning of their intended nuptials—and vowed retribution.

Xiao Xun began his uprising swiftly, yet Chu Zhao forced her passage into the capital, determined to disrupt his rise and fundamentally alter the course of the empire.

Having ascended to the regency, Chu Zhao entrusted a loyal confidante with command of the Imperial Guard. Yet, as discord grew thick in the air, Xiao Xun prepared a cunning snare—and she anticipated his move.

Xiao Xun confronted Chu Zhao, accusing him of having poisoned the young emperor; yet, she cleverly redirected his scheme back upon himself. However, their confrontation was abruptly shattered when an assassin attacked within the very walls …

Chu Zhao orchestrated a scheme to incriminate Xiao Xun as a traitor, yet Deng Yi intervened to secure his flight—an action that placed Xie Yanlai in grave danger during the pursuit.

Xie Yanfang asserted his authority by orchestrating a military advance along the borderlands. Meanwhile, with her father’s condition rapidly worsening, Chu Zhao disregarded the counsel of the imperial court and rode out to assist him.

To escape Xiao Xun’s prepared trap, Chu Zhao concealed herself amongst a company of messengers. Simultaneously, Yanlai, heedless of danger, risked all to pursue her journey toward the borderlands.

Within the protective walls of Cangmu Stronghold, Chu Zhao and Yanlai found refuge. There, she confided in him, unveiling a startling truth: her rebirth, and the echoes of a forgotten past. Hearing this revelation, he swore an oath to chall…

At the Cangmu stronghold, Chu Zhao prepared a trap for Tie Ying. Subsequently, Xiao Xun formed an alliance with the Northern Desert tribes and initiated an assault.

As Wangcheng faced encirclement, Chu Zhao conceived a bold sequence of plans intended to secure their release. Meanwhile, distant and unwell, her father learned of the conflict she now fought.

Chu Zhao finally arrives at her father’s bedside, only to be confronted by a disturbing revelation. Meanwhile, Deng Yi has unwittingly stumbled into Yanfang’s intricate scheme.

A devastating revelation regarding her birth mother reached Chu Zhao from Chu Ling, and with it came the unsettling knowledge that Yanlai bore some responsibility for her father’s persistent ailment.

To bury her sorrow, Chu Zhao joins forces with Yanlai against the encroaching threat of the Northern Desert—yet triumph will exact a devastating toll on those dearest to her.

Intercepting reports of Chu Zhao’s triumph, Xiao Xun swiftly moved his forces toward the capital. Amidst a web of rivalries and grasping ambitions, he cast aside all pretense, publicly defying the throne by burning the imperial decree and d…

With the Longwei Army brought to bear, Chu Zhao and Yanlai compelled the Lord of Xiaonan to concede. Upon their return to the capital, the long-simmering tensions between Deng Yi and Xie Yanfang flared into open conflict.

Chu Tang formulated a scheme to seize Xiao Xun, intending to use him as bargaining power to compel Chu Zhao’s capitulation. Subsequently, Deng Yi declared a general pardon, bringing the hostilities to a close.

Having pledged their eternal devotion, Chu Zhao and Yanlai now separate. She journeys back to the capital, intent on cultivating alliances and consolidating her authority—though Yanfang observes from afar.

Deng Yi’s refusal to allow Chu Zhao to appoint Yanlai as commander of the border legions prompted Yanlai to pledge his life with an oath: he would vanquish the Northern Desert King.

Yanlai staunchly denied his mother a place among the ancestors of the Xie family, then confided his reasons to Chu Zhao. In the presence of the court, Chu Zhao disconcerted Xiao Xun with a pointed question regarding fire oil.

Chu Zhao launched a vigorous campaign against corruption within Jingzhou, while Yanfang subtly concealed a dangerous maneuver behind an assumed sickness. A disturbing premonition regarding Yanlai left Chu Zhao deeply unsettled.

Driven by malice, Yanfang orchestrated an ambush for Zhong Changrong at the hands of the Northern Desert warriors. Yet, Yanlai arrived just in time to intervene—and swiftly followed with a bold and audacious attack upon the heart of the des…

To escape justice, Deng Yi staged his own demise and fled with Xiao Xun, a man who had poisoned his father and assembled a formidable fighting force. As conflict intensified, Chu Zhao rode forth—a solitary figure against the rising tide of …

Chu Zhao descended upon Xiaonan, exposing the architect of the recent unrest. Yet, a ruthless struggle for control resulted in her imprisonment. And then, something utterly unexpected occurred.

Feigning obedience, Chu Zhao privately guides the young emperor, reserving everything for a final, decisive move. The culmination of her struggles rests on this precarious act.