Daiyu's Ascent

The well-learned, sweet, and innocent Tang Daiyu's world crumbles around her when her family's reputation crumbles. Her father, a disgraced official, and her mother are both executed by Emperor Jianyuan of Chang. She is left struggling to care for her toddler brother, Baobao. Then, two eunuchs from the palace come to visit. Daiyu is forced to watch as her brother is wrenched from her. She is taken to the Imperial Palace and made into a maid serving Princess Ling of Chang. As Daiyu works her way up the ranks, she is noticed by Prince Han, Liu Jin. As she and Prince Han get to know each other, outside forces threaten to tear them apart. When Chang is threatened with war, Daiyu volunteers for an intermarriage with the southern kingdom of Heping. Daiyu's past has made her stronger than she ever thought possible. She leaves the Imperial Palace and Chang. In Heping, she marries one of the princes and later become Empress of Heping. But when pieces of the truth regarding her parents' executions leak, she realizes that no one can be trusted. Except herself... and a few exiles. With the help of some Chang exiles, Daiyu begins her rise from the ashes of her past. Her plan? Soar above those who made her into a pawn and take them down, sparing no one. ***Author's Note: This is an alternate universe of China replacing the Western and Eastern Jin Dynasties. The Weiyang Palace is real, and I have tried to keep the various halls and their purposes historically accurate. The Heping palace doesn't exist in real life.*** *Cover photo is not mine. All credits go to the artist.*