Chang'an Yue: I Seek Power in the Capital

Who says women can't hold office? I'll usher in a new era! The twin dragons dance at the red gate; when will the phoenix cup be raised?

In the twenty-seventh year of Yuanzhao, Emperor Yuanzhao passed away. The new emperor, Prince Xiang, succeeded to the throne as crown prince, taking the reign title Qingli upon his enthronement and granting a general amnesty. Looking back over the Yu Dynasty's history, its enlightened rulers governed the country well. Situated in the east, the dynasty had ruled for three hundred years, becoming the foremost power among the four directions and receiving tribute from the border tribes.

She, Zhou Shangling, was the legitimate daughter of the Minister's household. She had no interest in serving wine and company in the women's quarters; she loved the battlefield and the path to officialdom. She was acclaimed as the Yu Dynasty's foremost talented woman.

With all these advantages, she was determined to become a female chief minister with power over the realm.

At seventeen, she attended the Ming Alliance banquet. Her poem, Ode to Jingyang, made her famous throughout the land. After the banquet, she submitted a memorial to the emperor proposing reforms to the imperial examinations, earning a place in history.

Later, the emperor arranged her marriage to the heir of the Marquis of Zhenyuan, who had also contributed to Ode to Jingyang. The two were wed.

But on the ninth day after her wedding, Zhou Shangling announced that she intended to take the imperial examinations, leaving everyone in the Yu Dynasty gasping. What? This woman wants to become an official?