Different Paths, Equal Brilliance: Ruan Yi

Ruan Yi was given a name by the late emperor, and because of that name, she was betrothed twice. Her first fiancé’s family rebelled, and her second fiancé wasn’t quite straight. In the end, amid the turbulent change of dynasties, she rose to become empress. First-person narration, female lead’s story, with no male CP. The heroine is resourceful and grows over the course of the story. The plot focuses on political intrigue and various schemes. Romance mostly appears in the side plot, and there isn’t much of it.