The Crimson Pearl Palace: Daiyu's Ruyi Biography

Introduction to The Vermilion Pearl in the Inner Palace: Daiyu's Story in Ruyi

After Lin Daiyu, the peerless beauty and poet from Dream of the Red Chamber, passes away, a wisp of her soul transmigrates through time and space and takes over the body of Fuca Langhua from Ruyi. Bringing with her a clear understanding of the feudal order and the poetic gifts of her past life, she enters the treacherous Forbidden City, determined to rewrite the fate of the women in the imperial harem with the power of poetry.

As Emperor Qianlong's principal consort, Lin Daiyu uses the "Xiaoxiang Poetry Society" to transform the harem into a sanctuary of poetry. She dispels malice with timeless works such as "Song of Burying Flowers" and "Autumn Window: A Night of Wind and Rain," and sees through Ruyi's mask of hypocrisy. Even while Qianlong is still a prince, she uses "Moon over the West River" to mock Ruyi's scheming. After ascending the throne as empress, she uses poetry banquets, lantern riddles, and other gatherings to expose Ruyi's affair with Master Anji, utterly foiling her plot. When faced with Jin Yuyan's poison and Gao Xiyue's jealousy, she wields poetry as a sword and medicine as a shield. She not only keeps herself safe, but also saves consorts such as Bai Ruiji and Hailan, helping them find purpose in life.

Lin Daiyu and Emperor Qianlong express their affection through poetry and live in perfect harmony, turning their bond into a romantic tale of a love beyond compare. She establishes a system for the harem's consorts to offer advice, giving them a voice; publishes a poetry collection for Chen Wanyin, fulfilling her dream of becoming a celebrated poet; and even helps Ruyi attain enlightenment in the Cold Palace, where she spends the rest of her life with a lamp and Buddha for company. In the end, with the pride of one who came pure and will return pure, she helps every woman in the Forbidden City break free from the shackles of fate...