Goodbye, My Princess

Gr 9 Up–To secure the treaty between the kingdom of Xiliang and Plains, the ninth daughter Xiaofeng is forced to marry the Crown Prince. She became a Princess Consort at the age of 15 and lives in one of the imperial palace manors, the Court of Spring. There is so much the Princess Consort cannot do and cannot say. She is forced to attend a lot of different ceremonies every year, dressed head to toe in layers of jewelry, stiff robes, and heavy golden coronets. She will not be addressed by her name. She is the person on display for the entire imperial palace. She is also the target of constant assassination attempts. The loneliness inside the imperial palace walls is a beast that devours everything the Princess Consort feels is good, kind, and beautiful. This book replicates the ancient China imperial palace life: concubines struggle with other women in the harem to get the Crown Prince’s attention; cruel tactics are used to promote at higher-ranking roles in the manors; emperor deposes empress to make way for his favorite younger girl; and concubines are sold into indentures. In this book, the emperor guards and palace servants are depicted as capable of superhuman feats of martial arts. It features itinerant warriors of ancient China heavily inspired and influenced by Chinese mythology and philosophies, including Taoism and Confucius.