Hundred Beam Bridge Chronicles 3 - Entanglements at A Distance: Jinshi and the Mongols

Universal human experiences are laid bare: the bonds of loyalty and the sting of betrayal, the courage to survive and the cost of ambition, the conflicts of faith, race, and desire. At the heart of this saga is Hasan Arslan, a Uyghur master bowyer with striking green eyes, who armed the Song Imperial Guard with unparalleled weaponry. The Emperor himself gifts Hasan and his descendants mystical jade Pixius—dragon-headed, winged-lion protectors—thrusting them onto a path of glory and danger. They must navigate a society steeped in prejudice. His wife, Melod, issues a matriarchal demand that one descendant must achieve the rank of Jinshi—the highest literary honor. But it is the women of the family who shatter tradition and forge their own destiny. From the beautiful courtesan Li Shi Shi to the formidable granddaughter Manolya, who builds a commercial empire; the fearless Mei Mei, the twin Generals Spring and Summer. Volume 1: Hundred Beam Bridge: The Lions and the Pixius From the battlefields against Tangut marauders to the inner circles of the Song court, Hasan and his family fight for survival. As they seek their promised sanctuary at the Hundred Beam Bridge. Volume 2: The Road of Silk and Satin: Silkworm and I-Ching Transformations Guided by the gold-spitting Pixius and the ancient wisdom of the I-Ching, the family reinvents itself as the Han Chinese "Ma" clan. Led by visionary women entrepreneurs, they build an empire of silk, satin, and tea. They balance Confucian ideals with the brutals of commerce and looming northern conquest — their greatest transformations. Volume 3: Entanglements at A Distance: Jinshi and the Mongols The 13th Century dawns, and the family is split between two worlds. One branch thrives in Song Lin'an as masters of revolutionary gunpowder…