The Emperor's Art

In the Kingdom of Yun, there was a woman whose name was known throughout the land. She possessed peerless beauty, extraordinary poetic talent, the courage of a heroine, and the strategic brilliance of Zhuge Liang. She gave all her youth and splendor, a beauty that could captivate the world. In that year, that month, that day, who whispered in the emperor's ear: 'If Your Majesty wants to see what commoners look like, why not take me as your bride?'

She promised him tenderness beyond compare and boundless affection. She said, 'If one day I can cast everything aside, I will take you to the ends of the earth, to the farthest reaches of the sea, and show you all the world's splendor. Would that please you?'

When everything was settled, who betrayed whom and plunged a dagger into her?

She threw her head back and laughed. 'I gave my love to the wrong person. I should not have mistaken lies for sincerity, nor given you everything I had.'

Clad in red, she was breathtakingly beautiful. One smile from her, and the world was dazzled.

As she watched him entwined with another, as the regime fell overnight and more than fifty of her trusted followers were beheaded and put on public display, she stood at the city gate amid a sea of blood and finally understood.

When all had changed and the splendor faded, whose brow bore a single vermilion mark, accompanying her without regret for five years?

Who cared nothing for a kingdom as beautiful as a painting, loving only the vermilion mark between her brows?

Even if he became a rakshasa, the tenderness in his heart would belong to her alone.

Who gave everything for her, only so she could sit upon the throne as empress?

Who said they would be together for a lifetime, their devotion unwavering and their love enduring?

And who, in the end, won the world but lost the one they loved?

Who would miss their five-year promise?

Sisterly devotion, courtly intrigue, betrayal and deception, love across the divide between human and demon.

See how a great heroine weaves a legendary tale of wits and courage, love and hate, and a love that brings both ecstasy and heartbreak...