Strong female lead, happy ending; she disguises herself as a man in the early story.
Song Yu: “My ambitions lie beyond the inner chambers. The Sage has agreed to let women take the imperial examinations. This is a gain for all women under heaven, but few women have signed up. The first reason is that women have limited access to education. The second is that for thousands of years, the only models of life women have been exposed to are virtuous wives and loving mothers, obedient first to their fathers and then to their husbands. They have never considered other possibilities for their lives. Only when they see female chancellors, female generals, and female top scholars will the lives they aspire to change. As long as one person awakens, more and more will follow. I am willing to be the first. I am willing to become the blade that opens a new path for all women under heaven.”
