In a dying era of peace, a monk must save an emperor from the deadly intrigues of his court . . . and an otherworldly evil . . . Japan, 1120: J¿r¿, a novice monk, is summoned from his isolated monastery to perform an exorcism on Lady Sanuki, a disgraced attendant to the emperor and allegedly the victim of a spirit possession. However, instead of a madwoman, J¿r¿ will discover that not only are her spirits real, but they might be the only thing protecting the young emperor against a plot to upend the very balance of the kingdom. With the help of a demonic courtesan, an imperial ghost, a tofu-loving goblin, and, most of all, the formidable Lady Sanuki herself, J¿r¿ must unravel his patient's past in order to save their future-before they succumb to the power of a legendary creature bent on destroying them all. Blending folklore with the life of one of medieval Japan's forgotten woman writers, Lady Safflower is a story of loyalty, magic, and the transcendent power of love in this world and beyond.