Once a Crown Prince has held his position long enough, he inevitably starts eyeing the throne. And the moment he does, the other princes start circling, hoping to swoop in and seize an opportunity.

In Liu Zhenji’s eyes, her husband—the Lion Prince[efn_note] 狮王 (shī wáng). It draws on the lion’s symbolic qualities in Chinese culture: strength, ferocity, dominance, authority, and protectiveness. It suggests that he is a powerful, intimidating military figure whose presence is like a lion ruling its territory.[/efn_note] of the current dynasty—is exactly one of those men hoping to snatch a windfall.

One-sentence summary #1: “Pretending to be a sheep to eat the lion.”

One-sentence summary #2: The long road to becoming the Emperor’s wife.