My lifelong wish has finally come true. I have become the most honored woman in the Great Shun dynasty. Looking back at the road I traveled, I am shaken and cannot bear to revisit it. Looking ahead, I see that the struggle for favor among the imperial consorts and the fight among the princes to become crown prince have not diminished just because I sit at the heart of the palace and command its six divisions. At that moment, I finally understood: becoming empress is only a new beginning!
For five years, I rose steadily and was the most favored woman in the palace, yet I could never withstand a mere flick of the empress dowager’s fingers. At the brink of life and death, the only person I could ultimately depend on was myself!
Standing atop the high platform, watching the civil and military officials bow before me, I suddenly realized how wonderful power was. At that moment, I decided I would claim supreme imperial authority!
Fifteen years later, I became the empress dowager, above all others and wielding power over the realm. Yet I felt nothing but helplessness and weariness. Why did my heart always feel so empty? Did I love him? Perhaps.
The woman who bore Rui'er for me appeared virtuous and proper, gentle and elegant, but in truth she was calculating and ruthless. I looked down on her and disdained her, yet for Rui'er’s sake I had no choice but to support and assist her.
But gradually, in this woman I had once dismissed, I came to see cleverness and wisdom, generosity and kindness, as well as pain and struggle. What welled up in me was uncontrollable admiration, and... heartache!
Fifteen years later, I became the only noble of a different surname in the realm, with power enough to shake the heavens. Rare treasures and beautiful young women could not make me happy; they only left me feeling utterly empty and lonely. At that moment, I finally understood: she was all I wanted!
But she told me, “Once this game begins, there is no turning back...”
The heroine Zi Xi intends to portray is a clever woman, capable of protecting herself in a treacherous harem littered with wronged souls, and clear about what she wants. She is a sensible beauty of the ancient court with the independent personality of a modern woman.
I don’t know how many readers will like a heroine like this or support her, but I really dislike heroines who are so weak they are foolishly bullied, or who only fight back when driven into a corner. After all, the intelligence of the three thousand beauties in the harem is all focused on the emperor. The harem’s power struggles go on day after day, year after year, without end until death!
Perhaps this is the biggest difference between this palace story and others like it!
Harem struggles usually come down to the same few tricks: poisoning, framing, and so on... All I can say is that any similarities are purely coincidental. I won’t waste any more time or effort responding to accusations of plagiarism.
One thing to make clear: the heroine is no saint. She can play dumb, act sweet, and devise poison plots; she has it all. Read at your own risk to avoid unnecessary heartbreak later.
Recommended palace-intrigue series: “War and Beauty”
Princess, Don't Make a Scene
My Wife Has Turned Dark
Reborn in the Pocket Dimension
The Hunter's Youngest Daughter Is Destined for Greatness
Beast Taming from Zero
Love in One Heart, Played on the Zither
The Divorced Wife Lives Freely
Quick Transmigration: I Just Want to Farm
A Song Dynasty Life Consultant
A Battle Among Noble Daughters
Blessings to Come
The Divorced Woman's Wonderful New Life