Knowing the hardships and pain of being a woman, and having gone to great lengths to become an empress and seize power, she had not been without attempts to change things.

Open a female account.

Put your feet down.

Allowing women to hold official positions...

Each and every one of these points reflects her painstaking efforts and painstaking work, the strong opposition from court officials and her stubbornness, and her painstaking planning and far-sighted considerations.

She knew full well that her ascension to the throne was a chance encounter, a miracle and good fortune, the result of the court officials' utmost tolerance, and the reason why the world considered her 'one and only one'.

But she didn't want it to be just that.

She wanted to be the first to break new ground and to lead all women in the world. She wanted to use her power to the fullest extent possible to realize her ideals during her lifetime.

But things didn't seem to go as she expected.

Accompanied by this somber, sigh-like narration, the aged empress seemed to be lost in a long period of reminiscence and contemplation, her face displaying an indifferent and silent demeanor as still as a deep well.

A chorus of voices, composed of men, women, young and old, suddenly rang out.

"A woman in office? This is an act of utter defiance against the world!"

"I think our Emperor has really gone mad! We women are busy enough serving our parents-in-law and taking care of the children at home every day, how can we go out to do any work or earn any money? Isn't this just creating more trouble for us?"

"Ever since they said we could have a female household, my husband has been beating me three times a day, saying he'll beat me into submission so I won't dare to have such shameless thoughts again!"

"Women studying? Studying is so difficult, it has always been a man's job, how could I possibly study?"

"Bound feet are so beautiful. I started binding my feet when I was five. His Majesty said that feet must be unbound, so what am I going to do with them now?"

“If she doesn’t bind her feet, how can this girl get married? I don’t care, my mother will definitely bind them for me.”

"Each generation is worse than the last. Now that women can study and become officials, won't they be seeing men every day? Boys and girls shouldn't sit together after the age of seven. This is going to disrupt the rules left by our ancestors!"

...

The Empress's aged voice continued slowly, filled with the composure, calmness, and serenity of an elder who had experienced many vicissitudes: "...But it was so different from what I expected. I traveled among the common people in plain clothes time and time again, listening to the real conversations between men and women in the streets and alleys. Only then did I truly understand the ways of the world..."

"I never knew that so many women hated me so much, hated my existence, hated my boldness and rebelliousness, hated everything I promoted, and loathed all my 'for their own good'..."

"Since I decided to sit on this dragon throne, I have never been afraid of anyone's evaluation, and naturally I don't care about any of their gossip, curses and insults."

"I am just a little tired."

"Perhaps, I shouldn't have had these thoughts in the first place..."

"Perhaps I was wrong from the very beginning..."

Before Youyou could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by the clang of clashing weapons and a woman's desperate, passionate cry of "Kill!" Then came the sounds of arguing, shouting, and even fighting, seemingly carried across vast distances of time and space…

The three of them were startled awake at the same time, turned their heads to look in the direction from which the sound came, and asked incredulously.

What was that sound?

What happened?

"Where has the war broken out again?"