The Tang Dynasty's Whole Mess

That Whole Tang Dynasty Mess: The Absurdly Hilarious Edition follows the Tang Dynasty's three-hundred-year timeline, using official history as its framework and unofficial tales as seasoning to take a nonsensical look at serious history. From Yang Guang's spectacular acts of self-destruction as a “literary young man” in the final years of the Sui, to Li Yuan's laid-back rise to power after a drunken night with a consort supposedly forced him to rebel; from Li Shimin's contrasting charms as both a young god of war and a scheming emperor, to Wu Zetian's hard-earned rise from a nun at Ganye Temple to a queen in her own right, and Li Longji's absurd history of letting his devotion to a favorite consort ruin his state, the book brings to life emperors, ministers, scholars, and common folk alike. It serves up famous scenes full of twists and blunders, such as Yang Guang hiding gold in a palace well only to be caught by a palace maid, Li Bai making a powerful figure take off his boots while he grinds his ink, and an innocent victim being mistakenly killed during the Mutiny at Mawei Slope. Its exaggerated jokes and roasts lighten the weight of history, combining historical accuracy with laugh-out-loud humor. Readers can enjoy a good chuckle while learning how the Tang went from chaos to the height of its golden age, then fell apart in its final years.