The Shadow Sovereign

Princess Zhaoyang, acting on the Crown Prince's orders, destroys the examination papers of humble scholars, cutting off their path to official office....

At the Scholar's Banquet, the new Top Scholar, Shen Xiao, impeaches Zhaoyang for being extravagant and suggests the Crown Prince take charge of repair...

The Crown Prince is furious at Zhaoyang because of the Yontong Canal. To ease the Crown Prince's suspicions, Zhaoyang proposes a plan for him to repla...

Shen Xiao learns from the Recluse Le Sheng that Zhaoyang once struggled to survive in the Cold Palace, leaving him even more intrigued by her. As he h...

Shen Xiao mourns his father. Zhaoyang hints that his father's death is suspicious. Shen Xiao decides to investigate the truth.

Shen Xiao notices that the Crown Prince is pocketing the grains given for the canal repair. He decides to investigate the Crown Prince's private treas...

When Shen Xiao finds out about the past between Zhaoyang and Cui Jinzhi, he understands that the marriage is out of self-preservation. The Seventh Pri...

Ordered by the Emperor to lead the grain donation effort, Zhaoyang finds herself caught between a rock and a hard place. To get out of the predicament...

Shen Xiao is thrown into prison, and the Second Prince shifts the blame onto him to protect himself. To clear her own name, Zhaoyang is ordered by the...

Shen Xiao knows that Le Sheng is the Seventh Prince. He also finds out that Zhaoyang is the person who's secretly funding those from humble families....

Cui Jinzhi finds out that the Crown Prince is planning to silence Zhaoyang. He then intervenes to save her and take the blame for the crime. The Yongt...

Zhaoyang and Shen Xiao survive a fall from a cliff. On a rainy night, they finally confess their feelings to each other. After learning of Zhaoyang's...

Shen Xiao and Le Sheng trespass into the Princess Residence to rescue Zhaoyang. Realizing she can't just sit back and await her fate, Zhaoyang decides...

To maintain the Cui family's support, the Crown Prince forces his younger sister, Princess An Le to marry Cui Jinzhi.

The levee repaired by the Crown Prince is breached. Zhaoyang sees it as an opportunity to get rid of him. Shen Xiao prioritizes the flood victims. Bot...

Shen Xiao defies the imperial decree by refusing the marriage and requests a demotion, volunteering to accompany the Seventh Prince to the Yellow Rive...

An Le poisons Emperor Zheng Yuan to help the Crown Prince take over the throne. Cui Jinzhi confines Zhaoyang and tells her that Shen Xiao is dead. Zha...

Emperor Zheng Yuan appoints the Seventh Prince as the Crown Prince. The noble families try to kill Shen Xiao by accusing him of forging an edict.