Zhi Hao has one goal: to pass the imperial exam, and eventually become a magistrate. That will get him the salary to support his parents and sisters. Eventually, he wants a wife and children, but not now. So, he is completely unprepared when a mystical fox spirit, in the shape of a beautiful woman, comes to seduce him. One night's weakness might end his bright future, and yet he is unable to resist.

Ling Xin is no vixen. She's a woman competing to become Empress of China. She knows everything a young woman is supposed to learn, but then, so do all the other women in the running. What she doesn't know is how to seduce a man. And she's heard that the emperor isn't impressed with purity. What she needs is a crash course in temptation, and the only possible tutor is the sexy scholar next door.

It's a dangerous game they're playing, one they can't win. If they're caught, they'll both die. If they're not…she'll still be in the Forbidden City, lost to him.