The Empress Dowager

Dong Lingjiu, Empress Dowager of the realm and the emperor's birth mother. From crown princess to empress and finally empress dowager, she spent twenty years navigating the murky, oppressive palace. She went from an innocent young girl to a composed and ruthless woman, the very model of an empress, and then to someone unfathomably calculating, whose emotions never showed. From the age of fifteen to thirty-five, this woman brought the imperial capital, seat of the Son of Heaven, to its knees beneath her hand. Her late husband, who had devoted himself to the realm, was long dead. The son she had raised with her own hands had ascended the throne. The empress was dutiful, and the consorts well-behaved. At thirty-five, Empress Dowager Dong cuddled her cat in the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, listening to music, when a young imperial physician came to check her pulse. She took one look at him and was captivated. He was not yet twenty, and his gentleness was tinged with awe and fear. He was so tall, yet so fair and handsome, like a tender new bamboo shoot, dripping with moisture when split open. Empress Dowager Dong tapped her nail guards and regarded him sidelong. Her voice was calm, yet simmered with a heart-searing heat. “Good boy, come here,” she said. “Kneel at my feet.” / Zheng Yuheng, the sole disciple of the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, had just turned eighteen, the same age as the current emperor. Young Master Zheng caught the eye of the empress dowager, who held real power. He personally handled every pulse check and nourishing prescription. Without Her Majesty's approval, even the emperor could not lay a finger on him. Lord Zheng snapped several whips at home, berating and cursing his son. He threatened to break his legs so he could not do anything so indecent, bring disgrace upon the family, and endanger his loved ones. Yet even after being beaten within an inch of his life, the young master dragged his injured body, crawling if he had to, back into the palace. He lay beside Empress Dowager Dong's bed, letting her cold nail guard lift his chin. The boy's nose and the corners of his eyes were red, yet he still managed a smile. He said: “I haven't come too late. Please don't cast me aside, Your Majesty.” [Reading guide] Happy ending. The heroine has previous sexual experience, while the hero does not. Heroine is 35, hero is 18, with a seventeen-year age gap. Neither character is perfect. Both have flaws. The dynasty and setting are fictional. The heroine loved her former husband, and the hero believes he is a stand-in for him. Theme: Be brave enough to pursue what you want, and don't fear hardship.