Before embarking upon your Universe of Xuya quest, i would suggest that you visit “The Universe of Xuya” web page and bring yourself up to date with the time line and how things evolved in this alternative history.
“InterGalactic Interview With Aliette de Bodard”
The Xuya series takes a bit of work collecting all the different stories that are scattered around many different sources, but it’s well worth the effort. If you click the links below and go to the book’s page you’ll find the option i chose for each one.