Bitter Tincture

In the shadow of the Yongzheng literary inquisition, a destitute scholar's daughter trades her soul for survival by marrying a merciless Manchu prince. She crosses a rigid class line, only to be imprisoned by a slow-acting poison that steals her sanity and legal personhood. As her mind fractures, she must piece together the truth behind her gilded cage and find a single, desperate moment to break free—before the interest on her soul-debt consumes everything.