Published in 2004, this is the first part of the historical novel that
tells the biography of the last Empress of China, since her teenage years when
she moved in to the Forbidden City as one of the concubines of Emperor Hsien
Feng, until she becomes one of the Widows Empresses of the throne.
This story recreates all the torments and vicissitudes that Lady
Yehonala had to cope with in a fierce competition among 3000 concubines, (not
to mention, seven imperial consorts, including Nuharoo the first Empress of
China), to win the affection and the protection of the Emperor.
A rivalry caused by the desire to give a descendant to the throne (the
heir to the empire) and the struggle to survive in a chaotic and risky environment
ruled by extreme measures that led to execution to anyone who dared commit the
slightest indiscretion.
My score:
