Goodreads asked B.Y. Yan:

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

B.Y. Yan From watching terrible Chinese period tv - the actors were wonderful, the plot was a mess. The emperor of that series was in turns portrayed as a seasoned adventurer to whom no danger was insurmountable, and an utter buffoon falling prey to the easiest of traps. I got to thinking... he must have had help, he must have had help he didn't even know was there, and so our opportunistic secret bodyguard Sangor was born.

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