In the tenth year of Pingkang, the little Emperor Zhao Qing reached fifteen years of age, the age suitable for marriage and taking over governance.

Everyone at the Imperial court, civil and military officials alike, were extremely worried—they feared that Empress Dowager He might not be willing to return power to the Emperor.

Yes, Empress Dowager He.

Originally supposed to be respectfully called the Grand Empress Dowager, Lady He had changed her title over the past ten years.

Heavenly Empress, Empress Dowager... these titles, each more novel than the last, left the court ministers endlessly speculating.

Zhao Qing was different from Zhao Gui, the former was merely a "grandson" adopted into the family, while the latter was Lady He’s biological son.

Back then, Lady He had willingly allowed Zhao Gui to govern and voluntarily retreated into the harem, showing her true maternal heart.

Unfortunately, Zhao Gui did not cherish it and ended up making himself into King Shun, then died of illness.

Zhao Qing, however, was a clever and obedient child, becoming Emperor without overconfidence, nor acting like Zhao Gui, who sought disaster with his smugness.

He acted like a qualified puppet, sitting obediently on the Dragon Throne, allowing Lady He and the Three Great Ministers, Political Affairs Hall, and others to control court politics.

Loyal and righteous ministers who fancied themselves went to "assist" Zhao Qing, but when faced with the counsel (or incitement) of those "loyal ministers," he remained unmoved.

As if being a puppet was, for him, already a very good arrangement.

Of course, some also suspected Zhao Qing was hiding his light and secretly gathering strength, but, after ten years, great changes had already occurred at the Imperial court.

The Three Great Ministers were no longer as glorious as they had been in the early years—

Wang Yuan, aged and having suffered a severe illness three years ago, had to retire.

His son Wang Zheng succeeded him as Chancellor, the Prime Minister of the Dayuan Dynasty.

Yet, Wang Zheng, whether in terms of prestige or personal ability, was far inferior to Wang Yuan.

Contrarily, Wang Zheng’s daughter Wang Shijiu, a woman, in just a few years, rose from Female Assistant to Bowen Academy scholar, then moved to the Ministry of Rites.

Her official position wasn’t high, far from comparable to Wang Zheng’s Chancellor role.

But, Wang Shijiu represented a different significance; she went from harem to the previous dynasty.

At the grand court assembly, she could even hold her place among a group of prominent men.

She was the right hand of Empress Dowager He, hailed as the second most powerful woman of the Dayuan Dynasty.

Of course, ranked first was Empress Dowager He.

Wang Shijiu being the second was enough to make countless women envious and cause many men to discuss openly and secretly.

No matter how the public criticized, female officers represented by Wang Shijiu steadfastly rooted themselves in the Imperial court.

And this force grew from initially aristocratic daughters to increasingly include noble women, and even ordinary women from poor families.

For example, Lady Tao!

No one expected that this Empress of a deposed Emperor would not become an abandoned woman or pitiable soul because of the deposed Emperor.

She did not sorrowfully marry far away, nor was forced to become a nun at a temple or a Taoist Temple but instead went to the Northwest Border City.

Five years ago, when the Hulu army harassed the border city, Tao Youwei, with her thousand subordinates, female soldiers, and the city’s elderly, weak, women, and children, actually resisted the Hulu iron hooves and defended the border city.

The news returned to Capital City, shocking the entire court.

The most astonishing thing came later; Empress Dowager He did not follow convention, rewarding Tao Youwei’s father and brothers as commendation.

Empress Dowager He directly appointed Tao Youwei as General, leading the Northwest Army, guarding the border city!

The court ministers:...

Not only the initial Female Assistant, but also several women standing on the Imperial court.

Despite everyone’s first reaction upon hearing "female general" being "hen crowing at dawn," "reversal of yin and yang."

In the end, it wasn’t the first time, and with Empress Dowager He’s growing power, apart from a few persistent advisers and Imperial Censors protesting, civil and military officials tacitly accepted this situation.

"Female officer, female general... Haha, is that so! Is that so indeed!"

After the news spread of Tao Youwei becoming Dayuan Dynasty’s first female general, Feng Shou, who had lingered sick for three or four years, finally realized something.

He looked toward the Imperial Palace, smiling as tears flowed.

His feelings were complex, unsure whether to accuse Lady He’s demonic intentions or to marvel at karmic reincarnation!

Back then, Lady He, due to her gender, couldn’t continue competing for the Central Plains with the late Emperor and had to opt for marriage alliance.

Now, Lady He, still a woman, had broken free from gender constraints, began pressing step by step toward that position.

Feng Shou knew Lady He was clever, decisive, an extraordinary woman.

Yet he still never expected Lady He to have such audacity, daring to defy the world—