The Birth of a Mad Empress

Blurb:

Empress Heqing of Qin Zhao reigned for more than twenty years. Her five sons and four daughters fought fiercely for power and the throne, and later generations often called this struggle among the nine heirs the "Dragon and Phoenix Fight for the Pearl."

A popular saying went that the five sons and four daughters of Emperor Qin Zhao each had their own favorite: five delights and four loves.

Crown Prince Qin Yu favored men of humble origins; the second prince, Qin Che, favored aristocratic families; the third prince, Qin Shi'an, favored romance; the fourth prince, Qin Yongchen, favored young male attendants who served scholars; and the fifth prince, Qin Zijin, favored the stage.

The eldest princess, Qin Zheng, loved male favorites; the second princess, Qin Yiyin, loved female officials; the third princess, Qin Ya, loved scholars; and the fourth princess, Qin Zilan, loved her cousin.

The empress's sons were relatively low-key, but her daughters were each more formidable than the last. Official and unofficial histories offer all kinds of accounts: the eldest princess had three thousand male favorites and left all others in the dust; the second princess and her female official shared an unspoken love; the third princess would wipe out her lover's entire family; and the fourth princess and her cousin were entangled in a love-hate relationship.

These four princesses became an inexhaustible source of material for popular tales in Later Qin and beyond.

The protagonist of this story is the third princess, Qin Ya, the ultimate victor in the succession struggle and the Emperor Su of Later Qin, whom unofficial histories call the Mad Emperor.

Nine heirs fight for the throne, dragons and phoenixes vie for the pearl: an empress, a cast of characters, a succession struggle, a battle for power.

Theme: Dragons and phoenixes contend for the throne, and an empress rises to power.