Why did she write the "Pillow Book?" Sei Shonagon was 28 when she began to serve the 17-year-old Empress Teishi. Though she found it hard to fit in with the brilliant atmosphere at court, with Teishi's guidance her talents begin to blossom and she makes her presence felt in the palace. But before long, she is drawn into the power struggle between Teishi and the powerful courtier Fujiwara no Michinaga.