Flowers in the Mirror
Li Ju-chen
 Flowers in the Mirror is set in the reign of the Empress Wu Zetian (Wu Tse-tien) who reigned from 684 to 705 in the Tang Dynasty. She took the throne from her own son, Emperor Zhongzong of Tang (Emperor Chung-tsung of Tang). Empress Wu lets the power she is given go to her head, and demands that all of the flowers on the earth be in bloom by the next morning. The flower-spirits fear her and follow her orders, but are then punished by the gods for doing so. Their punishment is to live on earth. Once their penance is complete, they will be allowed to go back to heaven again. Tang Ao is the father of the incarnation of the Fairy of a Hundred Flowers. The Empress suspects him of having had a part in plotting rebellion against her and so she takes away his high scholarly rank and leaves him with the lowest rank that one can obtain. Tang Ao responds to this by freeing himself from the coil of the mortal strife which binds the soul to the body and resolves to become an immortal by cultivating Tao. Then Tang Ao is told by a dream spirit that his destiny lies in foreign parts and so he decides to go overseas by junk, with his brother-in-law, Merchant Lin. Tang Ao finds twelve of the incarnated flower-spirits during his journey, and helps them all with the difficulties that they are having. Doing so enables him to become an immortal, and at the fair mountain of Little Penglai he disappears. During his journey, Tang Ao travels to the Country of Gentlemen, the Country of Women, the Country of Intestineless People, the Country of Sexless People, and the Country of Two-faced People, as well as many other countries. In the second half of the book Tang Ao’s daughter goes to Little Penglai to look for him after his disappearance. Also, the incarnated flower-spirits take part in the "Imperial Examinations for Women", and along with their husbands and brothers they rise up and overthrow Empress Wu’s rule, so restoring Emperor Tang Chung-tsung to the throne.