[No CP / Strong Female Lead / Political Intrigue / Empress]
On her way to the capital to take the imperial examinations, Changsun Rongle has her family fortune stolen and is reduced to a beggar in rags.
She thinks all she needs to do is earn enough for the journey, until she meets him.
Qi Shanji: “If you’ll put on the phoenix robe, the throne of Empress is yours.”
Changsun Rongle: “What if I want more than just to be Empress?”
Everyone knows the new emperor is weak, and the Empress is nothing but a puppet who obeys his every whim.
But no one knows that the real power in the palace has already changed hands.
From a lone girl in a rural town to a pawnshop owner, from Empress to the ruler of all under heaven.
If this world is unjust, then I’ll flip the board and take the seat for myself!
And that “handsome man” who claims he’s helping me, the male lead?
Hmph. He’s nothing but a... well, a handsome stepping-stone on my path to power.
(The heroine is focused on her career, with romance as a side plot. The male lead is genuinely devoted and serves as a face-slapping tool.)
