After Transmigrating as Wu Zetian's Eldest Daughter

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After dying one day, Li Jia transmigrates to the Tang Dynasty and becomes a three-month-old baby.

When she opens her eyes, she is greeted not by the scent of expensive perfume or the hearty laughter of old money, but by:

"Heaven has felt Lady Wu's sincerity. The princess has returned from the dead!"

Dazed, she looks around at the sea of people and hears them mentioning "Lady Wu," "Empress Wang," and "Consort Xiao." Having watched too many melodramatic Wu Meiniang shows, Li Jia thinks blankly: Did she... become the eldest daughter of Wu Zetian, the one who died young?

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Wu Zhao has always believed that Heaven gave her life so she could accomplish great things, no matter how difficult the road ahead.

She has prepared herself for the possibility that the palace women, the court officials, and even her own children might betray her at any moment, leaving her to fight alone.

Until the eldest daughter Heaven returned to her firmly takes her hand.

Wu Zhao looks down at her daughter sleeping soundly in her lap and suddenly feels that life is full of surprises.

From deposing Empress Wang and raising Wu to the throne, to bringing down the Guanzhong aristocratic clans, from ruling alongside the emperor to the Mount Tai sacrifices... at every step, her eldest daughter supports her with unwavering, almost mindless devotion, even when she sets out to found a dynasty and become emperor herself.

The one thing that is both regrettable and a relief is that her Jiashuo isn't very perceptive.

Of course, that isn't to say her son-in-law is stupid.

Wu Zhao really wants to ask Li Jiashuo: You have no interest in literature, so why are you so utterly smitten with Wang Zian, who is only talented in literature?

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The historical records about Wang Bo amount to only a few brief lines.

"Wang Bo, courtesy name Zian, was from Longmen, Jiangzhou. He began writing at six and, at nine, pointed out errors in Yan's commentary on the Book of Han. At sixteen, he passed the You Su examination and was appointed Court Gentleman for Audience. When the princes held a cockfight, he wrote The Proclamation Against the Prince of Ying's Cock, and was dismissed. Later, he secretly killed a government slave, and his father was demoted. After writing the Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng, he drowned in the sea and died of shock."

Good news: Li Jiashuo, who transmigrated here, really knows Wang Bo and has memorized the entire Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng.

Bad news: Li Jiashuo, a historical half-blind, knows Wang Bo only through the Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng, and through the fact that this spirited genius is really handsome and confident!

They have only been in love for six months when a female official rushes in with a report.

"Princess, something terrible has happened."

"What is it?"

"His Majesty has seen The Proclamation Against the Prince of Ying's Cock."

"Father also thinks it's so stirring, right? I knew Father's taste was just like mine..."

"His Majesty says The Proclamation Against the Prince of Ying's Cock is sowing discord among the princes. The young scholar has been expelled from Prince Pei's residence and ordered to leave Chang'an next month."

Li Jiashuo: .

After a long silence, Jiashuo asks solemnly, "Do you think Father knows he's my boyfriend?"

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Bonus scene:

Most court officials resent the women taking part in politics, openly and covertly criticizing the Empress for acting like a rooster crowing at dawn, and lamenting how later generations will judge her.

In the Hall of Light, the emperor and empress quote the classics as they debate the assembled scholars.

Behind the hall, Li Jiashuo listens in, touches her cheek, and muses, "How will they judge her? 9599."

Wang Bo, listening beside her and taking notes on possible plot holes, leans over and whispers, "Yuanxi, should I put that line in too?"

Reader's guide:

Main couples: Li Jiashuo and Wang Bo / Li Yuanxi and Wang Zian

A record of the mother and rulers as seen through Li Jiashuo's eyes, from the era of Lady Wu to the Shenlong era, with a romantic love story on the side (emphasis)

Wu Zhao, Li Zhi, Wang Bo, and others all have their flaws, but the overall tone is always positive (emphasis). So if you have a negative opinion of any of these characters, you may not enjoy reading this. Consider this a heads-up.

This is a romance, and the love story is not just background, but the romance starts at zero in the early chapters (because she's still a baby, but the Emperor and Empress are extremely good together). And since I'm writing about Wu Zetian, I won't be careless with the story. Wu's career and love life are equally important.

1. Also known as The Most Politically Astute Couple in the World and Their Least Astute Daughter and Son-in-Law. The modern-day female lead will not ascend the throne. Her main storylines throughout the novel are family, romance, and friendship, while Wu Zhao's are career, family, and romance.

2. The main sources are the Old Book of Tang and the Tang Huiyao. I won't use unofficial histories, nor will I ignore the less flattering official histories. For official histories not covered by the Old Book of Tang, I will consult the Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance and the New Book of Tang. (Due to the limitations of their era and the politics of the Northern Song, I will treat their accounts of Wu Zetian with skepticism.)

I will not demonize the emperor and empress's careers or relationship. I will portray their deep love for each other, as well as the subtle power struggles between them. I reject stereotypes like "a cruel empress" or "a weak emperor," but I won't portray them as flawless saints, either.

3. This novel takes artistic liberties. If anything leaves you confused, feel free to discuss it politely in the comments or chapter reviews. Please don't argue. Getting angry is bad for your health.

4. Wu Zhao and Li Zhi have both had previous partners. Their daughter and son-in-law have only ever been with each other. Li Jiashuo will not have children, for good reason.

5. This is not a story where the protagonist knows the future. Li Jiashuo knows nothing about history and could even be called historically illiterate. She offers an objective perspective on historical figures without idealizing or disparaging anyone. She's neither stupid nor brilliant, and she won't hold her mother or father back.

6. Because her life is so happy and smooth, and because she transmigrated as a three-month-old baby, Li Jiashuo's psychological age will regress. She starts out at twenty-six, but her mental age will gradually align with her Tang Dynasty body. As a teenager, she is innocent and naive. She isn't deliberately acting cute, nor is there anything wrong with her mind. She's not stupid.

Lady Wu's original name is unknown. Before the character "Zhao" was bestowed upon her, this novel calls her Wu Ci. Her mother was Buddhist, and her elder sister was named Shun, so I personally imagine that she had a one-character name connected to her sister's.

Princess An Ding is named Li Jiashuo in this story. Jia means "beautiful," and shuo means "the beginning of the first lunar month" and also contains the character for "moon." Wu Zhao and Li Zhi seem especially fond of sun and moon imagery, and the female lead's birthday is set as January 1.

Her courtesy name is Yuanxi. Yuan reflects that Li Zhi considers his and Wu's first daughter to be "my first daughter." Xi suits the couple's tastes and evokes the feeling of sunlight shining across the land.

Theme: Honor your parents and elders, and live well.