Aspiring novelist Ao Kaede enters the imperial harem of the fictional Shu Kingdom not for the emperor’s favor but for one simple reason: a private room where she can lock herself away and write. Though she calls herself a genius, her talent for fiction is virtually nonexistent. Her peaceful routine shatters one night when she stumbles into a group of assassins while heading to submit a manuscript. The emperor himself rescues her, and impressed by the useless trivia she has accumulated through her writing hobby, he gives her an ultimatum: use her knowledge to solve the mysterious death that has unsettled the harem, and in return she may continue her writing in peace.

Kaede, who would rather stay in her room than participate in courtly power struggles, is forced to become a decoy and investigator. Her sharp observations and eclectic book-learned skills—such as playing the guqin or deducing poison from historical accounts—allow her to untangle conspiracies that the harem’s more conventional residents cannot. Along the way she interacts with a cast of memorable characters: the emperor, who is both amused and intrigued by her eccentricity; her younger sister Yumeling, a cheerful muscle-bound girl who later stars in a spinoff series; and various consorts such as the warm-hearted Wu Huafei and the rivalry-driven others.

The central narrative arc follows Kaede as she pieces together the truth behind the suspicious deaths, uncovering layers of grief, betrayal, and the emperor’s own loneliness. The story concludes with her confronting the real culprit, not merely solving the mystery but also understanding the pain that drove the crimes. The manga balances harem intrigue with a lighthearted tone, focusing on an otaku consort whose passion for writing and unwavering desire for quiet solitude set her apart from the usual palace dramas.