Ji Ruxue

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Ji Ruxue (姬如雪)
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Dagan Imperial Family; Imperial Palace
Occupation / Role	Empress of the Dagan Dynasty; founder and commander of the Xuan Niao Guard
First Appearance	Chapter 9

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Body Integration Realm, Early Stage	46	Her cultivation and imperial authority ordinarily let her overwhelm most opponents; Mo Yunxuan's arrival as an equal-realm cultivator disrupts that advantage. 46
Body Integration Realm, Mid Stage	164	By this point, she is identified as a Body Integration Realm Mid Stage cultivator. Her rise was supported by the dynasty's National Destiny. 164 187

Background

Ji Ruxue ascended the throne with support from Empress Dowager Chen Ruoyan's faction and officials left behind by the former emperor. In her early reign, she relied on these inherited resources while gradually preparing loyal officials of her own. 177 187

She personally built the Xuan Niao Guard into a direct imperial intelligence and enforcement arm. Its members deliver decrees, monitor officials, apprehend fugitives, and act with broad authority under the Empress's sanction. 17

Her childhood connection to Jun Tianxiao initially gave him unusually easy access to the palace. When he attempted to use that relationship to place Zhao Yun in command of the Left Wei Guard, Ji Ruxue recognized how much he had changed and began treating him as a political tool rather than a trusted friend. 10

Appearance

Ji Ruxue is described as exceptionally beautiful, with fair skin and a presence that draws attention even when she is presiding formally over court. She wears a dragon robe in her capacity as Empress. 10 378

• Fair complexion. 189
• Usually appears in imperial robes while conducting state business. 10
• Maintains a composed, dignified public bearing despite her more impulsive private behavior. 195

Personality

Ji Ruxue is politically sharp, ambitious, and capable of making ruthless decisions when her rule or the dynasty is threatened. She can use purges, appointments, and rival factions to consolidate power, and she does not hesitate to discard officials once they become liabilities. 68 195 273

Her caution is frequently complicated by anxiety and suspicion. Mo Yunxuan's rapidly expanding power, unexplained military assets, and independent actions repeatedly leave her fearful that the imperial family may be sidelined or threatened. 154 248 280

Around people she trusts, especially Hong Yu and Mo Yunxuan, Ji Ruxue is markedly less formal. She can be playful, irritable, lazy, easily embarrassed, and prone to overthinking. 22 159 207 469

Abilities & Skills

Cultivation

Ji Ruxue is a Body Integration Realm cultivator whose advancement is tied to the National Destiny of the Dagan Dynasty. 164 187

• Reached Body Integration Realm Mid Stage by Chapter 164. 164
• Can perceive emotional and spiritual fluctuations from significantly weaker cultivators, including Golden Core Realm Ning Xueqing. 338
• Recognizes the danger posed by Mahayana Realm cultivators and refuses to provoke them recklessly. 206

Imperial Statecraft

Ji Ruxue governs through a combination of direct authority, personnel control, and calculated cooperation with powerful noble factions.

• Completed a large-scale purge of Dagan officials while keeping the government functioning. 68
• Planned to eliminate the Zhu Faction and replace its officials with loyal personnel, though shortages of reliable candidates constrained her plans. 177
• Rapidly filled vacant positions with help from the Protector Duke Mansion and Western Expedition General's Residence, greatly expanding her influence at court. 195
• Used Chen Zhibai until he became politically dangerous, then ordered his execution. 273

Xuan Niao Guard Command

The Xuan Niao Guard is Ji Ruxue's personal intelligence, surveillance, and enforcement organization, led by Hong Yu. 17

• Delivers imperial decrees and monitors officials. 17
• Investigates internal threats, including suspicious palace personnel and military movements. 35 54
• Contains cultivators largely at the Nascent Soul Realm or above, with many Spirit Transformation Realm members. 17
• Reports directly to Ji Ruxue and functions as a key deterrent against political opponents. 17 177

Relationships

• Mo Yunxuan — Political ally, rival power, and eventual romantic partner. Their relationship shifts from wary negotiations between equal-level cultivators to a close alliance in which Ji Ruxue increasingly relies on the Wei State Duke Mansion. 46 115 388 431
• Hong Yu — Trusted attendant, childhood companion, and commander of the Xuan Niao Guard. Hong Yu can tease Ji Ruxue in private but remains one of her most important advisers and agents. 17 22 177
• Chen Ruoyan — Empress Dowager and maternal figure who supported Ji Ruxue's ascension. She openly worries about Ji Ruxue's temperament and her feelings for Mo Yunxuan. 67 207
• Jun Tianxiao — Former childhood friend whose ambition and behavior disillusion Ji Ruxue. She later views him as a pawn useful for stirring court factions. 10
• Ji Rulong — Former Crown Prince and Ji Ruxue's imperial brother. His rebellion places her family loyalty in conflict with her responsibilities as Empress. 115 138
• Ji Lingyun — Clan Affairs Minister whose attempt to provoke the Wei State Duke Mansion leads Ji Ruxue to restrict him and eventually leave his fate to Mo Yunxuan. 206 207 210
• Meng Qianxue — Mo Yunxuan's principal wife and a source of tension for Ji Ruxue; Ji Ruxue lost a spar against her and remains visibly irritated by her presence. 371
• Qing Li — Ji Ruxue's personal sword attendant. Ji Ruxue notices Qing Li's attraction to Mo Yunxuan and reacts with possessive irritation. 26

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Jun Tianxiao and the Left Wei Guard — Ji Ruxue supports Zhao Yun's nomination while privately realizing Jun Tianxiao has become self-serving and politically useful only as a pawn. 10
• Left Wei Guard Crisis — She responds to the Left Wei Guard's mobilization and attack on the Xuan Niao Guard by ordering a full investigation, recognizing that powerful cultivators may be involved. 35
• Court Purges and Southern Investigation — Ji Ruxue purges officials, stabilizes the administration, and sends Mo Yunxuan south to investigate spirit-rice production and the Su Clan. 68
• Ji Rulong's Rebellion — After receiving evidence that Ji Rulong is raising an army, she initially wants him captured alive for trial, but struggles to override Mo Yunxuan's determination to deal with him decisively. 138
• Zhu Faction Consolidation — She moves to eliminate the Zhu Faction, then uses allies to rapidly occupy the resulting vacancies and strengthen her control over the Imperial Court. 177 195
• Clan Affairs Office Conflict — Ji Ruxue confronts Ji Feng's forged decree, rejects Ji Lingyun's proposal to challenge a Mahayana cultivator, and gradually abandons efforts to protect dangerous imperial relatives. 198 206 210
• Southern Frontier Militarization — She proposes raising a new army and using the Southern Song conflict to test weapons designed by Chen Zhibai, while becoming increasingly concerned about the military balance with the Wei State Duke Mansion. 259 267
• Palace Guard Expansion — Ji Ruxue commissions Mo Yunxuan to train her Palace Guards into a Nascent Soul Realm elite force, personally providing the required resources and accepting his fee. 388
• Imperial Family Discipline — On Mo Yunxuan's advice, she orders the execution of Ji Yangyan and Ji Kai, despite the personal burden of condemning members of her own family. 464 465

Notable Quotes

“I will not allow you to gamble the imperial family's foundation and the fate of the Dagan Dynasty!” — Ji Ruxue, refusing Ji Lingyun's proposal to provoke the Wei State Duke Mansion's Mahayana cultivator. 206