When Zhao Qingshu heard that the emperor was about to appoint another empress, she thought, I wonder which unlucky woman it will be this time. Poor thing.
Everyone knew that the emperor doted on Consort Qi to an unbelievable degree. The empress, his first wife, had been forced to request her own removal and leave the palace, becoming the Daoist priestess Jing'an, simply because she had punished Consort Qi back when she was still a beauty. The next empress came from an even more distinguished family: the empress dowager's niece and the emperor's cousin. Yet she offended the consort too, and was demoted to Consort Rong.
How many rounds would this third empress last against the consort?
But then the Zhao family received an imperial decree, and Zhao Qingshu realized that the unlucky woman was none other than herself.
Oh well, it was hard to defy an imperial command. She might as well lie flat. Let them do whatever they wanted. She would enjoy herself for as long as she could. Becoming empress dowager would be ideal, but if not, so be it.
How had Consort Qi fallen gravely ill while she was lying low? And then died?
What? The emperor was so grief-stricken that he died too?
How utterly heartbreaking (wonderful).
Sigh. Though I'd become empress dowager at such a young age, living in wealth and splendor with power in my hands, I'd lost my husband. I was so happy (cross that out), so sad.
Note: The female lead and the emperor have no romance between them. He can be considered the male lead because he has a lot of scenes, but the female lead's romance comes much later.
Theme: Face adversity and quietly build your strength; hope will eventually come
