A Beauty in the Palace

In the nine-tiered imperial palace, everyone has their own ambitions.

The palace maids often whisper among themselves:

– Some just want to survive quietly until the day they’re released from the palace.

– Some harbor romantic dreams of marrying a refined and scholarly nobleman.

Gu Qingshuang once had both dreams.

But after a flood outside the palace claimed her entire family, even the gentle and affectionate nobleman she trusted backed away in fear. Gu Qingshuang realized all his tender words were lies—his vows meant nothing, and they didn’t stop him from marrying a well-matched noble daughter in a grand ceremony.

Shaking her head, she came to a sudden realization:

With nothing left outside the palace, and love proving unreliable, she would build her own path—

A jade staircase reaching the heavens.

She set her sights on supreme power, and the Phoenix Seal that all women envied.

A path embroidered with blood, jade steps paved with white bones.