Spring Night, Caged Phoenix

Princess Shen Jiayi watches her childhood love marry another woman. Cornered by rival factions at court, she sets her sights on An Hexu — a scholar who holds half the empire's military power — and openly flirts with him at her ex's wedding. That night, Ji Linyuan corners her, and they strike a dangerous deal over the remaining talisman. But it's the gentle An Hexu who quietly tends to her wounded heart. As she builds a secret merchant guild to fight back, the Empress Dowager sends An Hexu to investigate her — pulling them all deeper into the spiral of love, hate, and power.