The well-learned, sweet, and innocent Tang Daiyu's world crumbles around her when her family's reputation falls. 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. Tang 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. Tang Daiyu works her way up the ranks, and 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, Tang Daiyu volunteers for an intermarriage with the southern kingdom of Heping. Tang 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... an old friend, and a few exiles. With the help of Chang exiles and a master of martial arts, Tang 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 version of China replacing the Western and Eastern Jin Dynasties. The Weiyang Palace in Chang'an and the Southern and Northern palaces in Luoyang are real, and I have tried to keep the various halls and their purposes historically accurate. The Nanning Palace and Lihua Palace don't exist in real life.*** *Daiyu's Ascent is a wuxia novel.* *Is not a fanfic* © All rights reserved