Yang Yuhuan

An epic of fate ensnared by power, love, and the shadows of a golden age.

She was the most radiant peony in the Tang Dynasty, the emperor’s cherished cinnabar mark, and the last brilliant sunset before the golden age collapsed.

From a girl in Shu to the rank of imperial consort, Yang Yuhuan conquered the highest power in the empire with her peerless beauty and extraordinary talent, yet step by step she entered the depths of the palace. The warm mists of Huaqing Pool, the shimmering splendor of the Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Robe, the vows in the Hall of Eternal Life: behind such extravagant favor lay court intrigues, family power plays, and turmoil across the realm.

When An Lushan’s iron hooves shattered Chang’an’s beautiful dream, and the white silk at Mawei Slope severed the bonds of mortal love, how would one woman’s love and hatred resonate with the rise and fall of a dynasty?

With delicate historical prose and sweeping storytelling, this book reveals the clear-eyed resolve, struggle, and shifting fortunes beneath the beauty of the golden age. Beyond her peerless splendor, it shows how an era became infatuated with her, and trembled because of her.

One song of the Rainbow Skirt, one realm at stake. Her legend was never just a love story.