This is a lovely tale – a monk and their animal companion are traveling all over the land of an unnamed Eastern Asian country, cataloging everything they find. The home in exile of the old Empress has recently been opened, and they make their way there. They find the servant and companion of the Empress, and she tells them tales of the objects they find there.
I gather that the monk is the frame for all the stories in this series, and it’s a good one. This story is a set up of course, but is also a really love tale of women’s friendships. I don’t really want to say more than that, because the way it unfolds is part of the beauty of the story.
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