A Song to Drown Rivers
Xishi's beauty has always been seen as a blessing meant for marrying well, until the military advisor Fanli offers her a different use for it: infiltrate the palace of the rival kingdom of Wu, seduce its king, and weaken it from within to avenge her sister's murder and save her people. Fanli trains her in everything from music to hiding her true feelings, but he can see through every mask she wears, and the attraction between them only grows more dangerous the longer she's away. Inside the Wu court, Xishi becomes the object of the king's affection and his advisors' suspicion alike, climbing higher in his favor even as the risk of exposure grows. Ann Liang's retelling of the legendary beauty of Yue turns a story of court seduction into one about the cost of being used as a weapon, and what's left of a person once the mask comes off.
A young woman whose beauty is weaponized to infiltrate and destroy a rival kingdom's court from within.
The King of Wu, whom Xishi is sent to seduce and destabilize from within.
The military advisor who trains Xishi as a spy and falls for her despite every effort not to.
A fellow beauty from Xishi's home village who accompanies her into the Wu court as a palace lady.
The ruler of Yue who backs the plan to use Xishi as a spy against the rival kingdom of Wu.