Tonight, we step quietly into the inner gift-preparation workshop of the Southern Inner Palace of Chang'an, the residence of Emperor Xuanzong at the height of the Kaiyuan era , one of the most prosperous periods of the Tang Dynasty.

In this quiet sleep story, a senior court lady at Inner Palace, the personal residence of Emperor Xuanzong in Chang'an, oversees the preparation of imperial Dragon Boat Festival gifts on the afternoon before the fifth day of the fifth month. Five palace women work at three low tables — gathering nine small zongzi into hanging clusters, braiding five-colored long-life cords, and sorting embroidered sachets alongside painted round fans while a sixth folds named summer silk robes into cloth envelopes at a separate garment station along the far wall.

Settle in, relax, and drift gently into sleep.

Chapte ...