The Art of a Proper Young Lady

Blurb: Every virtue and talent comes naturally to her. She excels at music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Born a princess of the imperial house, Lin Yu has a face as lovely as a peach blossom and jade from birth. From childhood, she has been the foremost student at the girls' school and a role model for the young ladies of the capital. Lin Yu thought this was wonderful. When she came of age, she would marry a fine husband, bear his children, manage the household, and grow old with him in a long and loving marriage. Until this towering dynasty was battered by storms and on the brink of collapse. She and her seven younger sisters were assigned a price and sent to the enemy state as marriage pledges to pay off the debt, like pigs and dogs being given away. Treasured like gold and jade, exchanged for money, and the account settled. Riding in the bridal convoy, Lin Yu looked back: The endless palace walls seemed like a coffin, and the mansions within them were more like cages. Noblewomen were merely more refined merchandise. Their lives and livelihoods hinged on a single man, and that was only a milder form of humiliation than being sent away in a political marriage. I'm terrible at writing blurbs. In short, this is the story of a fallen princess rebuilding her country from the ground up.