When Chen Mo, a veteran history teacher, dies beneath the wheels of a car while trying to save a kitten, she opens her eyes to find herself transmigrated into the body of 17-year-old Yehenara Xingzhen, the future Empress Dowager Cixi, who will wield power over the imperial court and bear the blame of history for a thousand years! It is the second year of the Xianfeng reign, and she is about to enter the palace as Noble Lady Lan. Within the vermilion walls, deadly harem intrigues and the doomed fate of the late Qing dynasty are already unfolding before her.
Armed with the “script of history,” along with a modern woman’s independent mindset and the advantage of foresight, she navigates the rigid hierarchy of the Forbidden City one careful step at a time. She uses modern hygiene knowledge to save a palace maid and make her a trusted ally, employs her understanding of imperial politics to avoid danger and win favor, and tries to turn the tide with whatever little influence she can muster at historical turning points such as the Anglo-French invasion and the Xinyou Coup. From Noble Lady Lan to Empress Dowager Cixi, she must not only survive the treacherous harem, but also challenge the feudal empire with her “modern soul,” champion the Self-Strengthening Movement, and rescue the dynasty from crisis. Along the course of a history seemingly set in stone, she will carve out a completely different path to power!
This story is entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.
