It outlines the legendary life of a generation of empresses with Lao She's humorous writing style, focusing on Wu Zetian's counterattack from a talented person in the court to a powerful figure in the world. From the power play of deposing the prince and ascending the throne to proclaiming himself emperor, to the reform courage to rectify the government and implement palace examinations, to the political wisdom of using prisoners of war and managing the Western Regions, she broke the shackles of thousands of years as a woman and wrote her own legend in the male-dominated court.
The novel not only shows her strategic imperial strategy - her foresight to balance the power of the Li and Wu factions, appease the people's hearts, and expand the territory, but it also does not avoid the undercurrent of the entanglement in the establishment of the throne and the transfer of power in her later years. From the quarrels in the court hall to the life-and-death battles on the battlefield, from the defiance of public opinion in the rectification of the temple to the blank of the merits and demerits of the wordless monument, every plot highlights her survival wisdom and governance philosophy of "conquering strength with softness and following the trend."
The book constructs the heavy history in a light and humorous tone, and restores a three-dimensional and vivid Wu Zetian amidst laughter and curses, allowing readers to feel the strong plot and at the same time understand the human game behind power and the extraordinary pattern of one emperor through the ages.
