Emperor Xuanzong was inconsolable at the death of his favorite concubine, Wu Huifei, in 737. Not one of his 1egions of wives and concubines could fill the space she had left in his heart. His spirits finally lifted on being informed that the daughter, named YangYuhuan, of one of his officials possessed peerless beauty that could not fail to soothe his aching heart. Xuanzong commanded an
interview with Yang Yuhuan, and was immediately captivated by her irresistible charm, beauty and the elegance of her smile, manner and every gesture.
He was no less impressed by the intelligence and perspicacity manifest in her conversation. The emperor fell deeply and irrevocably in love, but could not take Yang Yuhuan as his wife because she had married his 18th son five years earlier. Passion, however, motivated him to find ways of arranging their union. His first move was to place Yang Yuhuan in a Taoist nunnery, in so doing eliminating her secular ties and, therefore, wifehood to the 18th prince.
>>>>>back to The Emperor and the Concubine:A Legendary Romance<<<<<
