Set against the rise and fall of the Tang dynasty over three centuries, from the bloody Xuanwu Gate Incident to Zhu Wen’s usurpation, this novel uses the “cave” and “sophora blossoms” as central motifs to tell the fated story of generation after generation of emperors trying to atone with blood, yet never filling the emptiness within. Through intimate glimpses of ordinary taverns, weavers’ brocades, and Hu entertainers’ poetry, it paints an epic portrait of power and human nature.
