Empress in Disguise: Volume 1

A bit of a fairytale but in ancient China where emperors ruled the country. Where hundreds of young girls dream of being chosen as the emperor's harem. Daiyu is not a girl who dreams of living in the Forbidden City. She never even thought about it because she is not a Manchu. The family she comes from is very poor and daughters are often sold. When she almost steps in front of a rickshaw, her life changes dramatically. She resembles the only daughter of a Manchu woman who does not want her daughter to go to the squad to be elected to the emperor's harem. She buys Daiyu from her family to send her in place of Lihua. Not assuming she will be elected, Daiyu agrees, with all the consequences that entails. Again a beautifully written story of a mysterious period in ancient China. An emperor with so many women sees Daiyu / Lihua and chooses her as the favorite concubine, leading to jealousy among the other young women. A beautiful story, a beautiful ending. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.