The First Empress

Xie Anju never thought she was inferior to any man. But because she was a woman, the only place she was allowed to go was the tiny world of the inner courtyard.

Naturally, she refused to accept it.

So she spent her entire life clawing her way toward the highest seat of power.

She chose Li Cong, whose faction was the weakest. But on the day Li Cong took the throne as Crown Prince, he told her he planned to take the Grand Tutor's daughter as his secondary consort.

Fine. If this seemingly honest Crown Prince wouldn't listen, she'd choose someone else.

So she picked and chose, finally settling on Li Zheng, the one she'd thought least likely to succeed from the start.

To her surprise, after the rebellious Li Zheng ascended the throne, he took the initiative and proposed that she join him in governing...

Theme: Even with a road full of thorns, forge a sunlit path forward