In official histories, empresses are solemn, dignified symbols and ornaments of court ritual. But their real lives were far more vivid, cruel, and moving than the history books suggest.
Who maneuvered through the undercurrents of the inner palace to rise from a low-ranking consort to empress? Who won the emperor's favor but could not hold on to a lifetime of peace? Who seemed to enjoy a life of glory, yet was desolate at heart?
The secrets hidden away, the love stories buried by time, and the dreams ground to dust are all preserved in this book, Secret History of Chinese Empresses.
Step into their world and see how women lived on their own terms beneath the chains of their age.
