She was the deeply shrewd Empress; She was a woman of extreme jealousy; She was the mother who nearly frightened her own son to death; She was a sage who understood the hearts of men; She had a discerning eye; she married a rogue, yet became Empress; She endured a life of hardship, was captured as a hostage, and suffered through countless dangers; She craved love, pursued it relentlessly, yet genuine affection remained elusive; She was ruthless and merciless, delivering fatal blows to her enemies, making others pale at the mere mention of her name... She was Empress Lü—the first woman to wield sole supreme power in Chinese history.
She was a woman of immense ambition; She was the enlightened and sagacious Empress; She was a mother with a heart as vicious as a snake's; She was a delicate and beautiful lover; She was born of notable lineage; a fortune-teller predicted she would become "the ruler of men"; She was innately passionate, yearning for love from the age of fourteen; She had a heart of venom, smothering her own daughter, having the Empress beaten to death, and killing her own brothers; She was enlightened and wise, presiding over a period of national stability and peace, continuing the prosperity of the Zhenguan Era... She was Wu Zetian—the only female emperor in Chinese history.
She was the woman who controlled the destiny of the Great Qing Empire for the longest time; She was a consort with a narrow mind and a peculiar temperament; She was a mother terrified by the rebellion and alienation of her son; She was a vicious woman who preached compassion yet was utterly ruthless; She was an extraordinary woman, with passionate blood coursing through her veins; She was a selfish woman, who would spare no means to achieve her ends; She was a greedy woman, insatiable in her appetite for life's luxuries; She was a woman of masterful cunning; no one could escape her grasp... She was Empress Dowager Cixi—the final woman to dominate China's fate.
Throughout history, the supreme imperial throne was exclusively for men. Yet, Lü Zhi, Wu Zetian, and Cixi—these three household names, these three legendary women—managed to control state affairs and manipulate men within the palms of their hands.
What kind of women were they, exactly? What was it that allowed these three women to stand firm and wield power in a society that revered men and belittled women?
Next, allow me to guide you all in unveiling the secrets shrouding these three mysterious women!