r-o-o-k-i-e

Hua Dailu lives a quiet life in the Nine-Story Pagoda, far above the courtly games and political unrest stirring across the province of Qianhu. Known for her odd habits, her sharp mind, and her fierce devotion to her family, Dailu is content to remain unmarried—until the Emperor’s court demands a bride to settle tensions with rebellious Jinxiu. Determined to protect her, Dailu’s brother arranges a different match: Zhu Zhaoming, a decorated general stationed on Qianhu’s southern border. He’s a stranger, but one with enough distance—and discretion—to offer Dailu a life she can still call her own. She agrees to the marriage out of duty. She doesn’t expect to like him. But Zhaoming is not what he seems. Beneath his composed exterior is a man with scars, ambition, and a loyalty as fierce as her own. As war brews and secrets come to light, Dailu is drawn into a world where nothing is as simple as right or wrong—and love, once unthinkable, becomes the most dangerous truth of all.