Hua Yuan was a concubine-born daughter.
Her father was the Grand Preceptor, whose power overshadowed the court, and her aunt was the Empress Dowager, who ruled as regent. After her elder sister was wrongly accused and driven from the palace, the Empress Dowager chose Hua Yuan to take her sister's place. She entered the palace and was made empress, enjoying all the glory and splendor that came with it.
That year, the emperor moved the capital to Luoyang and ordered Hua Yuan to lead the imperial consorts there.
The old ministers were unwilling to leave their homeland. They urged Hua Yuan to enthrone the crown prince in the old capital and stand against the emperor.
Hua Yuan did not want to turn against the emperor, so she rejected their proposal.
On the night before their departure, Hua Yuan had a dream. She dreamed that after she brought the crown prince to Luoyang, the emperor would suspect her of rebellion, discard the pretense of their once-loving relationship, and secretly plot to depose her.
He would even bring her sister, who had been banished for years, to Luoyang and let her torment Hua Yuan until she was driven mad, stripped of her title, and met a violent death.
When she awoke, Hua Yuan was drenched in cold sweat.
Remembering her miserable end in the dream, she thought to herself: Raising an army in rebellion would mean certain death, but obeying the emperor and going to Luoyang would only get her deposed and killed. If she was going to die either way, she might as well take the crown prince and command the feudal lords, raising an army against the emperor. If she succeeded, she would become the Empress Dowager and rule as regent. If she failed, it could hardly be worse than her previous life.
After much soul-searching, in this life she did not soften and believe her sister's sob story, nor did she bring her back to the palace. Instead, she gave her a cup of poisoned wine.
Reader's Guide: A transmigrated emperor's fangirl
Theme: When faced with hardship, change; change brings progress, and progress brings lasting success
