The Legend of Mi Yue II: Jian Jia

Jiang Shengnan, pioneer of the women’s historical epic, vividly brings to life the astonishing legend of China’s first empress dowager! She was a legendary woman who truly existed in history. The title “Empress Dowager” originated with her, as did the practice of empress dowagers wielding power. She was the great-great-grandmother of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China. Following the path of Shang Yang’s reforms, she laid the foundation for Qin’s eventual unification of the realm. During the Warring States period, Mi Yue was the beloved young princess of King Wei of Chu. But after his death, her life took a sharp turn for the worse. Her mother, Xiang, was driven from the palace by Queen Wei of Chu, and Mi Yue and her younger brother, Mi Rong, survived one disaster and crisis after another. Mi Yue and the young nobleman Huang Xie of Chu grew up together and fell deeply in love, but she was sent far away to Qin as a dowry attendant for Mi Shu, the legitimate princess. Mi Shu became Queen of Qin, while Mi Yue was forced to become a favored concubine. The sisters’ affection gradually fractured after Mi Yue gave birth to a son, Ying Ji. As the princes fought for the throne, King Ying Si of Qin died with regrets. Mi Yue and her son were exiled to distant Yan. Then, unexpectedly, King Wu of Qin, Ying Dang, died while trying to lift a cauldron, plunging Qin into chaos. With the help of the Yiqu army, Mi Yue returned to Qin and quelled the internal unrest. Her son, Ying Ji, ascended the throne as King Zhao of Qin. Mi Yue became history’s first empress dowager, known as Queen Dowager Xuan. She was a legendary woman who truly existed in history. The title “Empress Dowager” originated with her, as did the practice of empress dowagers wielding power. She was the great-great-grandmother of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China. Following the path of Shang Yang’s reforms, she laid the foundation for Qin’s eventual unification of the realm. Even today, some scholars firmly believe that she was the true owner of the Terracotta Army. In an age of fierce rivalry, as heroes contended for supremacy and fortunes changed in the blink of an eye, how did she rise to the pinnacle of history? Amid palace intrigues and a life repeatedly hanging by a thread, what twists and turns shaped her tender, deeply moving romantic entanglements?