She is the Duke of Zhenguo’s legitimate daughter and the empress of the realm. Well versed in the classics and histories, she is no prude; she understands the art of power, but disdains to use it. Her wisdom lies in seeing how fragile affection is beneath imperial authority and how unpredictable an emperor’s heart can be. What she seeks is independence and freedom of spirit. “Thunder and rain are both imperial grace, but my heart answers only to me.”
He is an emperor eager to make his mark and free himself from the influence of his powerful in-laws. He loves his empress deeply, but for the sake of securing imperial power, he sets that love aside and sacrifices it, at least for the time being. He thinks she understands his “imperial statecraft” and will wait for him forever. He doesn’t realize that a heart can grow cold. He goes from a self-important ruler to a living, breathing man who understands what it means to respect someone, but sadly, he learns too late.
