Starting With A Blade: From Death Row to Regent

Prince Chen Yan of the Duke of Wei is framed by his relatives and imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, while his fiancée, Wen Nianzhu, breaks off their engagement to take advantage of the situation. In this desperate situation, he turns to the Grand Steward Yu Wanhui, using the exposure of his relatives as his pledge of loyalty, and takes charge of the Bright Mirror Bureau as the Vermilion Mirror Master. Relying on his ruthless strategies, he successively eliminates enemies such as his second uncle and the loyalist of the Former Yan, forcing his aunt's family to turn against each other, poisoning the former abdicated emperor and kidnapping his concubine. At the Chang'an poetry gathering, he intimidates the envoy from Liang, discards Wen Nianzhu, and gradually develops feelings for the talented woman Pei Suwan, while also dismantling his father's power. Chen Yan climbs the ladder step by step, vowing to make all traitors pay with their lives.