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Jun 10, 2025 1 hr 18 min

The Moon in the Palace

from Reformed Rakes Hosted by Reformed Rakes

The Rakes discuss The Moon in the Palace by Weina Dai Randall. In response to the question what inspires or interests Dai Randall about a time period, she said: “To me, the period of time is not as important as the historical figure or the event itself.” This focus is evident in her the book that imagines the early years of Empress Wu. Known as Mei, she enters the palace as a teenager in 639 and becomes a concubine to Emperor Taizong. She falls in love with one of his son’s Li Zhi. As their lives are dictated by the emperor, they hide their relationship. Join our discussion about how we should characterize historical figures, how we define romance, political violence, and happy endings. Support us on our Patreon! Visit our website for transcripts and show notes: reformedrakes.com Follow us on social media: Twitter: @reformedrakes Instagram: @reformedrakes Bluesky: @reformedrakes Beth’s Substack Chels’ Substack Emma’s Substack Thank you for listening!

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The Moon in the Palace

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This episode is 1 hour and 18 minutes long.

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This episode was published on June 10, 2025.

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