When I was a child, I thought my destiny was to live and die on the banks of the Xiangjiang River as my family had done for generations. I never imagined that my life would lead me to the Forbidden City and the court of China's last Empress.Born in the middle of nowhere, Yaqian, a little embroidery girl from Hunan Province, finds her way to the imperial court, a place of intrigue, desire, and treachery. From the bed of an Emperor, the heart of a Prince, and the right side ...

When I was a child, I thought my destiny was to live and die on the banks of the Xiangjiang River as my family had done for generations. I never imagined that my life would lead me to the Forbidden City and the court of China’s last Empress.Born in the middle of nowhere, Yaqian, a little embroidery girl from Hunan Province, finds her way to the imperial court, a place of intrigue, desire, and treachery. From the bed of an Emperor, the heart of a Prince, and the right side ...

When a young Chinese woman is murdered within the British Quarter of the foreign legation, Inspector Gong is ordered by the Imperial Court to solve the crime before the incident escalates into war between China and the foreign powers. The only problem? Inspector Gong doesn’t speak English. And he is hardly the type of man to be accepted by the British elite living in Peking.Once again, he must turn to the one woman who can help him. The woman he can’t stop thinking about.La...

In this exciting novel from USA Today best-selling author Amanda Roberts, the story of the slow march toward the fall of the Qing Dynasty comes to life in vivid detail, revealing a world of love, sex, ambition, and intrigue surrounding the world of empresses, princesses, consorts, and concubines, and the emperors they served.History books may tell about the fall of the Qing Dynasty. But they haven't told my story…Born to a family of wealth and priv...

The Emperor's Seal – the divine symbol of the Emperor on earth – is missing. The Empress will do whatever it takes to get it back.Jiayi has a gift – she can travel through time just by touching historical artifacts. More than anything, she wants to escape the clutches of the Empress and run away to a foreign land. Finding the Emperor's Seal could be her only chance at freedom, but is she willing to risk the wrath of the Empress?Historian and wannabe archaeologist Zhihao has...

Peking, 1867When one of the Empress's ladies-in-waiting is killed in the Forbidden City, she orders Inspector Gong to find the killer. Unfortunately, as a man, he is forbidden from entering the Inner Court. How is he supposed to solve a murder when he cannot visit the scene of the crime or talk to the women in the victim's life? He won't be able to solve this crime alone.The widowed Lady Li is devastated when she finds out about the murder of her sister-in-law, who...

After helping Prince Kung avert an international disaster and negotiating with Inspector Gong's mother for his betrothal to Concubine Swan, Lady Li takes a well-deserved evening to enjoy the first public performance by a female Peking opera performer. But her relaxing night out takes a dramatic turn when a murder is committed on stage during the performance.Inspector Gong's attempt at finding a distraction from the troubles in his heart is thwarted when he and Lady Li attend the sa...

Murder. Love. Duty.During the Qing Dynasty, betrayals, secrets, and lies often lead to murder. And only one man can solve the empire's most desperate cases - if he can convince the one woman he can't resist to help him.Books 1-3 of the Qing Dynasty Mysteries featuring Inspector Gong and Lady Li are now available in this exciting boxed set!Murder in the Forbidden City - Book 1When one of the Empress’s ladies-in-waiting is kil...

She thought that fate was finished with her. But it was only beginning…After being banished to a remote abbey, Daiyu thinks the machinations of the inner court can no longer hurt her. But she is wrong. A ghost from the past emerges and threatens everything Daiyu has worked so hard to build for herself.From the opulence of the inner court and the right hand of the emperor, Daiyu finds herself back at the beginning, back outside the imposing red walls of the ...

She thought that the favor of the emperor would keep her safe. She was wrong.At the center of power and privilege, Daiyu is now in more danger than she ever imagined. No longer able to hide among the countless palace ladies, as empress, Daiyu cannot escape the jealousy and scheming of the other women who would do anything to take her place.But that is not the only danger Daiyu faces.Foreign enemies besiege Peking, sacking the city and forcing the im...

Kill the Empress, save China.That is what people from all sides are telling Jiayi. She not only has the power to kill the empress, but to set up a new future for China. Jiayi has spent her life as a palace slave. Freedom for China could mean a lifetime of servitude for her.And Jiayi is tired of living for everyone else.As Jiayi's powers grow, she finds herself living more and more in the past, even as the future is barreling toward her.Zhiha...

One FaceTwo MenAnd A Secret That Could Destroy An EmpireAt the dawn of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor will do anything to ensure the future of his empire. Building the Forbidden City in fulfillment of his father's dreams is only the beginning.But few people share the emperor's vision.When a consort's betrayal has devastating consequences that rock the imperial court, the emperor discovers that the fig...