Embers of Palace
Yun Shan, a palace maid from the Zhao Kingdom, was forced to take Princess Zhao Lingrong’s place and marry into the Liang Kingdom as the princess. Her real mission? Steal top secrets and assassinate the emperor of Liang. She pulled it off—but Zhao Lingrong, desperate to keep the truth buried, betrayed her and left her for dead. Luckily, Yun Shan was born with her heart on the right side. Against all odds, she survived and struggled her way back home—only to discover her entire family had been silenced. Devastated and fueled by vengeance, she changed her identity to Manzhu and re-entered the palace. She swore she’d take back everything that belonged to the princess and drag her from her pedestal into the dirt. At a royal banquet, Manzhu performed a mesmerizing dance that instantly bewitched both Crown Prince Zhao Zhenyi and Prince Consort Wang Yu. Zhao Zhenyi brought her to the Eastern Palace, and Manzhu played the victim in front of Wang Yu, claiming the crown prince had forced her. Wang Yu fell for it—and so did Zhao Lingrong, except she fell into a jealous rage. Enraged, Zhao Lingrong tried to attack Manzhu. But Manzhu flipped the script, using the incident to stir conflict between Zhao Zhenyi and Zhao Lingrong. Zhenyi ended up executing one of Lingrong’s maids as a warning. Humiliated, Zhao Lingrong tried to eliminate Manzhu through Crown Princess Liu Shuqing. But Manzhu turned the trap into a ladder, becoming Zhao Zhenyi’s concubine. She used that position to completely sever Wang Yu’s ties with Zhao Lingrong. Desperate, Zhao Lingrong went to Emperor Zhao Yongqing to complain. But instead of helping, the emperor grew curious about Manzhu. He sought her out himself, and after just one dance, was completely enchanted. Publicly, he warned his son not to indulge in women; privately, he had Manzhu—who had been exiled to a temple by Zhenyi—taken for himself. When Zhao Zhenyi found out, he brought Manzhu back into the palace. She was now officially the emperor’s “Beauty Man.” Manzhu deliberately let Zhao Lingrong witness her secret meetings with Zhenyi. Then, she manipulated events to make it seem like she was plotting against Emperor Zhao Yongqing. Just when Zhao Lingrong tried to report her, Manzhu used her pregnancy to win favor and turn the emperor against her. Bit by bit, she stripped Zhao Lingrong of all her power, ruined her reputation, and even turned father and son against each other. In the end, Manzhu brought down the entire Zhao Kingdom, avenged her family, and walked away victorious.
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