On the eve of the Qianlong Emperor's southern tour, the night before the Empress cut her hair, every woman in the Forbidden City who had once been swallowed by fate remembered how her previous life had ended.
Some had been trapped in the palace until death, some had given their lives for love, some had their entire lives drained away by imperial power, and others had died disgraced, never receiving a proper end.
That night, the Empress refused to become the deranged consort driven mad by coercion. Consort Ling refused to remain an emperor's pawn. Ziwei stopped yearning for a father's love or romantic love, and Xiaoyanzi finally shattered her idealized image of “Imperial Father” and “Yongqi.”
They formed a secret alliance aboard a pleasure boat and agreed on a shared path: no fighting for favor, no rivalry between women, no harming one another. If they were going to fight, they would fight for power, laws, businesses, schools, and a way forward for women.
From then on, Shufangzhai, Yanxi Palace, Cining Palace, and Kunning Palace were secretly linked. They investigated wrongful cases, settled romantic debts, supported princes, controlled the inner court, took charge of trade routes, and forged alliances on the borders. Qianlong still believed he sat securely upon the throne, unaware that the true players turning the tables were the women behind the red walls.
Great perspective, different plot, very interesting
No, it's gone. How long has it been since half a month ago? What about the follow-up? I want the follow-up