Mud Blossom: A Tale of Love and Intrigue in Ancient China

From the dust of antiquity, over 2,500 years ago; the author unearthed the panorama of Ancient China, at the end of the Spring/Autumn Period (770 to 476 BC). Mud Blossom is a story of love and hate; vengeance and redemption.During that period, the Yue Kingdom was conquered by the much stronger Wu Kingdom. Fan Li, the top advisor of King Goujian of Yue, came up with a plan to restore the country. He offered up Xi Shi, the mesmerizing beauty he loved to Fuchai, the King of Wu; to seduce and distract him. King Fuchai indulged in seeking pleasure, and gradually lost sight of the quiet expansion of the vengeful King of Yue, giving Yue the opportunity to turn the tide.Xi Shi: our heroine of this tale was a young and beautiful silk yarn washer in Yue Kingdom. She and Fan Li met by chance on the bank of a stream, and they fell in love despite the vast difference in their stations. After their country was conquered by the Wu Kingdom and facing being annexed; Fan Li persuaded Xi Shi to sacrifice their love and personal happiness, for the sake of king and country. Xi Shi agreed to his proposal, and entered the Wu King's Inner Court, to endure a precarious and sensual existence for many years. She was inadvertently caught between the conflicts of these two kingdoms, and the two powerful men who loved her.Throughout history, Xi Shi had been alternately lauded as a savior of her people, or maligned as a fox spirit with base morals. She was like a lotus blossom rising out of muddy water, yet retained its purity!Note: Xi Shi was one of the four legendary beauties in Chinese history. Out of four of them, the author decided to write Xi Shi's fascinating story; because she greatly admired this historical woman's courage and resolution: in an age when the Chinese society regarded its women as mere chattels.