Beauty Rules the World

In the thirty-eighth year of Yongle under the Dayu dynasty, the emperor died. Princess Yihe, the strongest contender for the throne, died soon after. Seven years later, Linlang, a slave girl sold into the Wen household, rose to become Madam Wen. While her husband, Wen Buhui, was away on a long journey, Madam Wen Linlang, already pregnant, found herself surrounded by danger. She was tricked and taken to the Li residence in Yanjing, and the identity she had hidden for so long was exposed. Her peaceful life was gone for good. Not long afterward, the husband who had promised her a lifetime of love intended to take a concubine. Overwhelmed with grief, Linlang went into premature labor and suffered a difficult delivery. She remained unconscious for three months. And so begins a tale of empire, conspiracy, and a woman’s love and hatred. It starts in the bustling city of Chuanzhou and slowly winds its way toward the unpredictable capital of Yanjing. The story begins, and the story ends. The empire and its beautiful women may all be within one’s grasp, but how can any of it compare to the words, “Do you love me?” Publisher: China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Publishing House Publication date: October 2010