Lanling's Wedding

Before 581 AD, a dynasty was born when the daughter of a chancellor married.

Behind her obedient facade, only she knows that she wants women across the land to have equal rights. She wants women to stand alongside men through their own abilities, rather than being confined to the home, bearing children and serving their husbands.

But this is easier said than done. She cannot even control her own marriage.

She believes that women can only hope for equal rights once men born into humble families can fulfill their ambitions.

And so the imperial examination system is born.

The ancients who wrote history did not praise women. The only record of her appears in the Biographies of Exemplary Women.

History written by the ancients should not erase women's contributions or feature only men.

And so this book was born.

Reader's guide:

1. This is a third-person story told entirely from the female lead's point of view. The male and female leads are historical figures. The male lead is the female lead's second husband. Her first husband was only a husband in name.

2. The female lead's name comes from historical records. She does not have sex before adulthood. Both leads are assumed to be virgins.

3. The main story ends with the leads' wedding and does not cover their whole lives. Their historical ending is tragic, but the bonus chapters offer a happy ending that respects history.

*The male lead briefly loses his memory. The reason is explained in the bonus chapters.

4. The main plot is based on the classical Chinese history book Book of Sui. Readers who are interested can buy a modern-language edition for research and compare it with this novel. Historical detail enthusiasts are welcome.

5. To avoid inaccuracies, architecture and clothing are described only briefly, and the leads' appearances are left vague. Any events not found in historical records are fictional, based on the author's reasoning about historical events. This includes the blurb. This is therefore a partly true, partly fictional historical novel.

6. To make it easier to immerse yourself in the story, historical figures' names have been obscured. Most are replaced with relationship terms from the female lead's point of view, such as "Father Emperor," "Empress Mother," "Elder Brother," and "Elder Sister."

7. This is the only historical novel I will write that follows historical records. From now on, I will only write fictional historical romance. The characters' opinions do not represent the author's views!

Theme: May women everywhere be able to put their talents to use