Why has it always had to be the dragon above and the phoenix below? That might be all right if the dragon were wise and enlightened, but no one could have imagined that this dragon would be arrogant and indulgent, while the noble and clever phoenix had to remain beneath it. Wouldn't you find that deeply unfair?
The daughters of the world are blessed with talent and grace. In what way are they inferior to men? If you ask me, those men are all coarse and vulgar. Women are where the world's talent and grace truly lie.
Why won't the world let women study? Why is a woman without talent considered virtuous, while a virtuous man is also considered talented? And why can men have three wives and four concubines, while women must abide by wifely virtue? Men and women are both human, after all. Why can men rise to become princes and ministers, or travel the world as merchants on horseback, while women can only live in their chambers, spending their whole lives in cramped spaces?
What, you don't want to become the second empress?
Strictly speaking, I originally wanted to write an ordinary palace-intrigue story called something like A Noble Consort Who Doesn't Want to Be Empress Is No Good Empress Dowager. Then one day, while bathing and plotting it out, I suddenly thought: Life is already hard enough, so why should the characters I write have to suffer and struggle in the harem too? What gives?
So I'll give her a little golden finger and let her ascend the throne.
Content warnings: an overpowered golden finger, multiple couples, and a variety of partners.
