Can't a Princess Ascend the Throne?

On the eve of her enthronement, someone asked Wen Shi'an why she was so determined to become emperor. As the person who had pulled Great Qi back from the brink of ruin, she could have chosen to step behind the scenes and support a puppet ruler. That would have spared her from so much opposition and criticism. Wen Shi'an lowered her eyes to the memorials opposing her ascension, laid out on the imperial desk, and smiled faintly. "Since ancient times, there have been female generals and female scholars who passed the highest civil service exams. Yet even women of exceptional talent eventually returned to the inner chambers and vanished into the pages of history." "If I retreat behind the scenes now, people will think that a woman's achievements amount to no more than this, and that in the end, her place is still within the inner chambers. I will not retreat. It is not because I yearn for the throne, but because I want the people of this realm to know that Heaven's mandate does not favor men alone, and the imperial throne does not belong exclusively to men. Women, too, can ascend to the throne, govern the realm, and care for its people." "I want the women under my rule to dare to think what they once dared not think, and do what they once dared not do." When Wen Shi'an first transmigrated, she discovered that no woman had ever become emperor in this world. Wouldn't a world without a female emperor be terribly dull? Reader's Guide: This is an alternate-history novel, and the author's knowledge is limited, so please don't compare it to real history. There is a male lead, but he appears relatively late, and the romance is a small part of the story. Theme: Your life belongs in your own hands.