Amidst the grandeur of the royal court and the secrets woven within its walls, a young man named Zhang Shen Hu lived in quiet resentment. He was the son of the esteemed royal physician, Zhang Wen Yao, a man whose healing hands were revered by both commoners and nobility alike. But behind the facade of honor and duty, there lurked a dark tale of betrayal and heartbreak—one that defined Shen Hu's life.
Shen Hu's mother, Lady Lian Hua, had died when he was but three years old. Though young, he had grown up hearing whispers of the truth—the truth that his father once shared a forbidden love with Empress Lin Meiyun, before she became queen. Their love had burned bright in their youth, a romance filled with stolen glances and hushed meetings under the moonlit pavilions of the palace. But love was not enough in a world governed by duty and ambition. In the end, Zhang Wen Yao had chosen another—Lady Lian Hua—and had left Empress Lin Meiyun to marry her.
But love, once scorned, often turned to vengeance.
Meiyun, unable to bear the betrayal, had harbored a quiet rage. Though she remained composed before the court, her heart seethed with the pain of being forsaken. And when Lady Lian Hua died, many suspected it was no accident. The whispers of court ladies, the knowing looks of the palace servants—Shen Hu had grown up deciphering the unspoken truth. His mother had died not from illness, but from the queen's revenge.
His father, overcome with grief and guilt, had tried to atone in his own way. He made the painful decision to send Shen Hu's younger sister, Yin Lian, away from the palace, settling her in a quiet village far from the queen's reach. There, she lived a simple life, protected from the web of royal intrigue that threatened to consume them all
Shen Hu, however, remained. Though he bore the name of his father, he wanted nothing to do with the royal court. He despised the royal family, detested the sight of their silken robes and gilded halls, for they had stolen everything from him—his mother, his sister, and his peace.
Despite his hatred, fate tethered him to the palace. He had inherited his father's gift for medicine, and under his reluctant guidance, Shen Hu was trained in the healing arts. He had no choice but to serve within the court, tending to the very people he loathed.
One evening, as he wandered through the palace gardens, he found himself standing before the Queen's quarters. He had long avoided this place, but tonight, his feet carried him there as if drawn by an unseen force. He watched as a candle flickered behind the silk-screened window, the silhouette of a woman moving within. He thought it was Empress Lin Meiyun, his father's first love, his mother's enemy, the woman who had stolen everything from him.
A voice stirred him from his thoughts.
"You linger in the shadows like a ghost, Zhang Shen Hu. Do you not fear the monsters that lurk in the dark?"
He turned sharply, his gaze locking onto a woman standing at the edge of the corridor. A noblewoman. He recognized her as the brave woman who divorced her husband. Her eyes, sharp and knowing, watched him intently.
"I fear no monster," he said, voice laced with quiet defiance. "For I have already lived among them."
The woman tilted her head, as if weighing his words. Then, with an enigmatic smile, she stepped closer. "Then perhaps, Healer's Son, you are meant to slay them."
Shen Hu narrowed his eyes. He had spent his life avoiding the palace's games, rejecting the twisted fates woven by those in power. But in that moment, as the woman's words settled in his mind, he realized something.
Perhaps, to truly be free, he would have to fight the very people he had spent his life running from.
And so, the healer's son made a decision.
He would no longer be a pawn in their game.
He would be the one to end it.
Maybe fate would grant him his wish and he would be able to truly fight for what is right. Only time will tell....