The Black Lotus of the Great Ming

In sea-locked Ningbo, where salt merchants rule and officials turn a blind eye, a sharp-tongued girl named Xu Miaoxue survives by scamming the rich and helping the poor.

But after pretending to be an official’s wife and stealing from the wrong people, she becomes a wanted criminal overnight. With the city hunting her down and powerful forces closing in, she must gamble on a single goal that could change her fate—getting into the nobles’ secret banquet at Ruyi Harbor.

Aliar, a storm of power, and a game she was never meant to play…
Once she steps in, there is no turning back.