The Road to Shu Is Hard

Li Zhen, the most powerful legitimate princess of Great Zhou, excelled at both civil and military pursuits. Half the court officials were her supporters, and even the Crown Prince dared not openly challenge her. Yet there was one person in Great Zhou whom even Li Zhen could not overcome: her father, the Emperor. The daily life of ordinary families might consist of planting rice seedlings and gathering mulberry leaves, but in the imperial family, the life of royalty was a still pool concealing flashing blades.

The Emperor never intended to kill her. He merely used her to eliminate powerful ministers, depose the Crown Prince, and consolidate his throne, raising her until she became the most powerful princess in Great Zhou. But he never intended to let her succeed him. A princess who could never inherit the throne, yet wielded power and influence, was bound to die on the day the new emperor ascended.

But Li Zhen was determined to find a way to survive. She would carve a path out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, take the supreme Dragon Throne, and unify the realm.

The road to the summit was long and treacherous, each step balanced between life and death. Its dangers surpassed even the perilous roads of Shu.

Premise: In a palace full of shifting schemes, a Chang'an consumed by intrigue, a corrupt and decaying court, a nation beset by internal and external threats, suffering commoners, and an empire on the brink of collapse, Li Zhen struggles and fights back against a feudal society as foul as a quagmire. In a cruel, male-dominated world, she fearlessly breaks the constraints of gender. In her pursuit of the throne, she comes to understand the true nature of power. Through countless trials, she takes on the responsibility of protecting the people of the realm. Though she encounters the darkness in human nature at every turn, she still preserves the "truth" within her heart. She introduces reforms, suppresses corrupt forces, and promotes capable talent, revitalizing the court. She personally dons armor and leads troops against the Turks and Tibetans, resolving the border crisis. She reduces taxes, builds waterworks, encourages farming and sericulture, and develops commerce, allowing the people to live in peace and prosperity. She promotes the selection of talent regardless of gender or status, raises the standing of women, and enables them to serve in court and fulfill their ambitions, truly giving every person of purpose in the realm the chance to make their mark. With sincerity in her heart, Li Zhen carves out a path to the throne of her own, becoming a legendary figure praised by the people and breathing new life into this land, long battered by hardship.