Teaser Tuesday - Empress Orchid by Anchee Min

Hey everyone! Sorry for the late post, I just finished Kendo (yup, I've started going to practice again~). So, today's teaser comes from this book about the last empress of China - Empress Cixi (sorry, I can't pronounce Tzu Hsi, it doesn't even look Chinese to me. I think Cixi is the hanyu pinyin)

There's an interesting story of why I even have this book, but it will have to wait for the review!

So without further ado, here's the teaser:

"I lived in a world of chaos where torture was a routine practice. I began to understand why so many concubines became obsessed with religion. It was either that or complete madness" (page 187)

Ok, I know it's three lines, but hey, the third line is important(;

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB of ShouldBeReading. To take part, choose a two sentence teaser  from the book you're currently reading.