At first, when Wanrong became engaged to Emperor Puyi, people called it a fairy tale—but it was really a horror story. Puyi married two women on the very same day: Wanrong and his consort Wenxiu.

Henry Puyi may have lived his final days as a commoner, but his life was anything but ordinary. China’s last emperor, Puyi ascended to the Qing dynasty throne at age three, only to be stripped ...