MysteryAime2023
In her past life, Cheng Lejun believed that quiet modesty and genuine affection were enough to survive the treacherous inner court of the Great Qi Empire. She was wrong. Targeted by the ruthless Imperial Noble Consort Meng and discarded by an emperor who prioritized political convenience over justice, Lejun was stripped of her title, framed for poisoning the Crown Prince, and banished to the freezing, isolated Cold Palace. She died alone on a bitterly cold winter night, coughing up blood on the frost-covered stone.
Then, she opens her eyes.
Lejun wakes up to the sound of silk rustling and maids bustling around her-not in the ruinous Cold Palace, but back in her family's manor, on the exact morning of the Imperial Concubine Selection. She is eighteen again, unblemished, and holding the silk token that marks her entry into the deadly harem.
This time, she abandons the soft-hearted girl who sought love and harmony. Armed with detailed memories of court secrets, impending political betrayals, and the hidden true motives of the harem's most dangerous players, Lejun enters the palace not as a victim, but as a master strategist.
Her agenda is simple: destroy Consort Meng before she can build her faction, dismantle the web of corrupt officials backing her enemies, and secure her own absolute power so no one can ever decide her fate again.
However, playing the game a second time reveals dark truths she missed before. Emperor Xiao Zheyuan, whom she once believed to be a cold-hearted betrayer, begins acting in ways that defy her memory. Furthermore, Lejun's sudden, cold brilliance catches the attention of Prince Regent Xiao Jingchen-the emperor's enigmatic, power-hungry uncle who holds the real military power of the empire. As Lejun forms a dangerous, secret alliance with the Regent to orchestrate her revenge, she must navigate a deadly game of political chess where a single misstep means returning to the grave.