Zan Ying was born to be the Crown Prince’s promised princess consort, designated by her father’s will. She grew up in the palace, beautiful and well-behaved, and she relied completely on the Crown Prince, believing he was her lifelong destiny.

Until at her coming-of-age banquet, she discovered that the Crown Prince had always harbored a hidden love for someone else. Her trusted elder brother turned out to be the real brother of this hidden love, and her respected grandmother and uncle, who was a prime minister, all advised her to be magnanimous:

“After all, the girl’s father sacrificed himself for the country, and she is the daughter of a meritorious official…”

Even the emperor and empress, who had always treated her like their own daughter, mocked her for being petty:

“You will be the Crown Princess in the future, and she will only be a concubine at most. How can you not understand the bigger picture?”

Even when both were trapped in a fire, with the emperor and empress caring about the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince caring about the hidden love, and the elder brother caring about his sister, no one remembered that Zan Ying was still trapped under the collapsed beams.

Given a second chance, Zan Ying finally understood that those she thought were closest to her were only near her for the sake of the immense fortune her mother had left behind.

In her first act of rebellion, she stood alone, trembling, and publicly announced her desire to break off the engagement with the Crown Prince.

Initially, the Crown Prince thought she was just throwing a tantrum and would eventually come back to apologize. But while waiting, he saw the once-imposing Grand Marshal humbly helping the young girl with her muddy skirt. At that moment, the Crown Prince was consumed by jealousy.

A whole palace was left vacant. The once-familiar pastries, soups, and greetings were no more, and the emperor and empress began to feel disoriented.

Then came the elder brother, the prime minister, the previous and current dynasties, and the inner palace…