![]() Empress Orchid is the story of this fascinating, strong-willed woman who, for generations has been vilified as a grand seductress and murderess. Little does she know that China will collapse around her, and she will be its last Empress. Determined not to be a victim of the jealousies and foul play, Orchid trains herself in the art of pleasing a man, bribes her way into the royal bed and seduces the monarch. The thousands of concubines will go to any lengths to bear the Emperor a son and become his Empress. The world inside the Forbidden City is erotically charged and highly ritualised, but beneath its immaculate face lie whispers of murder and ghosts. Orchid, a beautiful seventeen-year-old from an aristocratic, but impoverished family, is pushed into the maelstrom when she finds herself unexpectedly chosen to become a lower-ranking concubine of the Emperor. Trade in Opium with Europe is slowly corroding the power of the Ch'ing Dynasty. ![]() ![]() It is the final days of the Chinese Empire. "A stunning tale of power, love, politics and a world that is lost forever. Plan of the Forbidden City, xiii + 336pp, hardcover in fine dustwrapper. ![]()
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