Lin Feng, a modern young man, transmigrated to Japan’s Nara period through an heirloom jade pendant engraved with a chrysanthemum pattern. He became the young emperor Kanmu, formerly known as Prince Yamabe, a figure caught in a political maelstrom and treated like a puppet. With his “foresight” into the course of history and his modern way of thinking, Lin Feng, now Prince Yamabe, patiently plotted his moves in a perilous court. He maneuvered among the Fujiwara clan, whose power dominated the court, ambitious local magnates, and brothers coveting the throne, enduring assassinations, coups, curses, and wars. From moving the capital to Nagaoka-kyo and Heian-kyo to escape the old powers’ control, to establishing the Kageyushi to strengthen imperial authority, he gradually transformed from a pawn manipulated by others into the true sovereign of the realm. But when he finally reached the pinnacle of power, he discovered that the curse of the “unbroken imperial line” was far from over. New challenges and deeper secrets lay hidden in the patterns of the blood-red chrysanthemum...
