Raising an Emperor with My Idol

The emperor is dead. The new emperor is ten years old.

I have become Empress Dowager Li, the vague shadow in the history books.

Zhang Juzheng, the renowned chancellor who saved the dynasty: I know what will happen to him ten years from now.

Wanli, the emperor who will stop holding court for decades: I know whose shadow will loom over the rest of his life.

Now, one is my son's teacher, and the other is the ruler I must guide.

And I have become the only person on this chessboard who knows how the game ends.

"Your Majesty, Teacher Zhang worked through the night again."

"Teacher, His Majesty practiced his calligraphy today and wrote three more pages than yesterday."

I pass tea between a strict teacher and a young child, and walk a tightrope between imperial and ministerial power.

The history books say that we will eventually come into conflict.

But as we travel this road toward the ending, I want it to be a little warmer, to last a little longer.

[Reader's Guide]

1. This is neither a palace intrigue nor a wish-fulfillment story. It's a tale about "doing what you know you cannot do."

2. The characters are fully human: Zhang Juzheng's courageous resolve and stubbornness, Wanli's growth and transformation, and the heroine's clear-eyed warmth.

3. The story respects the course of history, while cherishing every genuine glimmer along the way.

History turns another page, leaving later generations to judge the merits and faults.

This journey has been long and arduous, but we walked it together, and that is enough.

Theme: Learn from history.