Book excerpt: Shen Zechuan is the eighth son of the traitorous Prince of Jianxing, a man who doomed his cities and people to destruction at the hands of the foreign enemy. As the only surviving member of his reviled line, Shen Zechuan bears the hatred of the nation. And no one's hate burns hotter than that of Xiao Chiye, the youngest son of the powerful Prince of Libei. Xiao Chiye would love nothing more than to see Shen Zechuan dead, but against all odds, he clings to life. Rather than succumb to his family's disgrace, he becomes a thorn in Xiao Chiye's side, clawing his way into the cutthroat political world of the capital. Yet as these two bitter enemies struggle against the bonds of their fate, they find themselves drawn together with a force neither expected--and neither can hope to resist.