Tuen, Slave and Empress

A girl sold into slavery is adopted by a high official and later presented to the emperor; her intelligence, craft, and willingness to learn lift her from servant to favored consort and then to a central political force at court. The narrative follows her early hardships, domestic life in the palace, and growing administrative responsibilities as she intervenes in crises such as rebellion and famine. It traces the moral and practical choices by which personal survival and ambition become statecraft, culminating in her rule as regent during the heir's minority.