The legendary Judge Dee Renjie returns, in this lyrical combination of mystery, history and ancient Chinese politics from the author of the renowned Inspector Chen mysteriesIn Tang dynasty China, Empress Wu seductive, ambitious and vindictive rules with an iron fist. Her premier minister, Judge Dee Renjie, is honored to be trusted by her. But when she orders him to carry out an urgent investigation into the disappearance of disgraced poet Luo Binwang, he cant see why the matter is of such vital importance.Luo Binwang joined a doomed uprising against Her Majesty, and vanished after the final, bloody battle. Is he missing or dead? Either way, now that the rebellion has been mercilessly quashed, what harm could a poor, elderly poet do?Traveling out of the great capital of Changan, accompanied by his loyal manservant Yang, Judge Dee launches a painstaking investigation, in the hopes of achieving what the empress secret police could not. But the journey is marred by ill omens, and with death and disaster following his every step, Judge Dee soon begins to wonder if the empress trusts him as much as he thought . . .