The following tale is entirely fictional and any similarities to real-life events or people are purely coincidental. After a decade of heartache, Lin Nuan decided to take her own life by jumping into the river. However, instead of death, her soul traveled to a new body – that of Yuan Xi in Yebei. From a tender age, Yuan Xi’s father had been nurturing her, hoping that she would become one of the most prominent women in the land. When the emperor’s three-year mourning period finally came to an end, a grand ceremony was held to select new members for his harem. The proud father had anticipated that his daughter would be among the chosen, but to his dismay, she was eliminated from the competition. Read on to discover how Yuan Xi was able to regain entry to the Chinese palace, how she dealt with the hidden threats lurking around every corner, and how she fought to thrive in the complex and ancient system that demanded the “Appointment of Crown Prince and then Matricide.”