Whaarehouse1324
Yǎtíng has always walked in the shadows of the Rear Palace's rumors, a skilled physician and botanist who prefers the quiet hum of herbs to the deadly whispers of the court. As the slightly older sister of Maomao and the daughter of Luomen, her life was meant to be one of healing-until a single twist of fate changes everything.
When the bandits strike, it isn't Maomao they drag away into the night, but Yǎtíng.
Thrust into the gilded cage of the Emperor's Rear Palace as a lowly maid, she tries to keep her head down and her medical talents hidden. But the Inner Court is a place where poisons run as freely as wine, and a physician's touch cannot stay secret for long.
When her path collides with Jinshi-the breathtakingly beautiful and enigmatic eunuch who manages the palace's chaotic underbelly-a dangerous game of wits begins. He sees her as a fascinating puzzle to solve; she sees him as a dangerous distraction to avoid.
As Yǎtíng is pulled deeper into court conspiracies, she must use every ounce of her botanical knowledge to survive. But as secrets unravel, she finds herself facing questions her medical texts can't answer: How will the Rear Palace change her destiny? Can she truly maintain her distance from the cunning eunuch? And in a place built on illusions, who will change whom first?
"You're takin' me out of the ordinary,
I want you layin' me down 'til we're dead and buried.
On the edge of your knife, stayin' drunk on your vine;
The angels up in the clouds are jealous, knowin' we found."
~ Ordinary, Alex Warren