[Female-led + political intrigue + imperial examinations + empress + evenly matched protagonists]
Li Chengxi, a history graduate student in her previous life, awakens to memories from that life and discovers she is the legitimate eldest princess of Great Zhou.
A century after its founding, Great Zhou’s government is showing signs of corruption, but the special imperial examinations for women still exist. This is her best chance to change history.
Left Chancellor Cheng Zheng wants to abolish the examinations for women? Then she will make sure they survive! She personally solves an imperial examination fraud case and forces Cheng Zheng into retirement. His protégé, Guo Liyi, is executed along with his entire clan; the censorial officials are collectively demoted, and her teacher, Yu Min, is promoted to Minister of Rites.
During a severe drought, refugees rise up everywhere, and she joins Xu Miaojie and An Ling to provide relief and restore order. When the Xiongnu invade, she leads troops north and joins General An Lan in defeating the enemy. She commands the court with masterful skill and outmaneuvers her foes on the battlefield. In matters of the heart, she and he are perfectly matched.
Her elder brother, the Crown Prince, thinks she is no threat simply because she is a woman. But her younger brother, Li Chengde, has long since taken his elder sister’s side: “Sister is the one who should sit on the throne.”
From princess to the greatest female emperor in history, she ushers in an age of peace and prosperity, with honest officials and clean government.
“In my previous life, I studied history. In this one, I write it.”
