The Empress of Bright Moon (The Empress of Bright Moon, #2)

by Weina Dai Randel

A whole world seemed to be locked behind his eyes, and he was reluctant to share any inspirations with me.

I breathed in his milky scent, I smoothed his wisps of hair, and I cradled him close. I knew I would give my life for this little infant.

“The wind is most detrimental to your weak body. It invades your brain and causes headaches that will haunt you for the rest of your life.”

But I knew it was Buddhist temples, not Taoist abbeys, that provided relief to the poor who were struck by misfortune; for the Taoists, lofty in their thoughts, considered themselves to be superior and accused the poor of thievery and of being disease carriers. It became clear to me that Buddhist temples and monasteries had become boats to people on the verge of drowning, especially women, young and old.

This was, after all, the worst part of the torture: it did not simply kill you—it changed you forever.

Could I fight against rumor? I did not think so, for rumor had no grave and only bore seeds. It germinated in the air, thrived in the sun, and ripened in the shadows. It would not die in the rain and fly only higher in the wind.

But the world was not made up of mothers; instead, it was manned and manipulated by vile, barren women and, worse, by men. Heartless men.

Breathe. Breathe the scent of the night. And listen. Listen to the silence of the air, for when I opened my eyes again, I would feel as calm as the mountain pine, and I would stand high, steadfast, and victorious, like the rising moon.

despite her contribution to the kingdom, her achievements were rarely acknowledged, and because she was a woman who defied male domination, violating the Confucian cardinal rule, she was subject to vilification by many Confucian historians in the coming centuries who labeled her a murderer, a tyrant, and a harlot.