Empress Dowager

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Empress Dowager
Original Title	太后
Affiliation	The Imperial Houses of Great Xia and Eastern Lin 40 538
Occupation/Role	Imperial mother; both documented holders previously served as empress 315 538
Known Holders	Li Huantang, Great Xia’s Empress Dowager; Eastern Lin’s unnamed Empress Dowager, Xia Siheng’s maternal grandmother 73 538
First Appearance	Great Xia’s holder appears in Chapter 15. Eastern Lin’s holder is discussed in Chapter 492 and becomes central to the wartime negotiations in Chapter 538 15 492 538

Title Holders

Holder	Family Position	Role and Condition
Li Huantang — Great Xia	Mother of Great Xia’s emperor 40 73	An active political authority who helped establish the emperor’s rule, ended destructive palace rivalries, and later directed investigations and wartime policy 315 435 535
Unnamed Empress Dowager — Eastern Lin	Mother of Eastern Lin’s sovereign and the Little Princess, Yue’er; maternal grandmother of Xia Siheng 538 547	A revered former empress imprisoned and abused by her son for more than twenty years. Fatally poisoned, she helps turn the population against him 540 546 551 552

Background / History

Great Xia: Li Huantang

After the Late Emperor abdicated, Li Huantang helped the current emperor ascend the throne. Her forceful intervention in state affairs contributed to Great Xia’s growing prosperity 435.

Her authority was built through years of violent palace struggles. During the dozen or so years following her elevation to Empress Dowager, she ended bloody harem intrigue and destructive competition among imperial heirs. Once the Imperial Family was united, she entrusted management of the inner palace to the Empress 315.

She subsequently shifted her attention toward court affairs. Eastern Lin’s repeated interference eventually expanded her ambitions beyond domestic stability: she openly desired to unite the world 474.

Eastern Lin: The Sovereign’s Mother

While still empress, Eastern Lin’s holder infiltrated a Southern Yue poison den that was spreading Happy Powder through her country. She used a friendship with its female leader to enter undercover and coordinated with the Imperial Court to destroy it. Her eyes were injured, leaving her blind; grateful survivors built temples in her honor 538.

She bore two imperial princes and a Little Princess. The public was told that the Fourth Prince died accidentally and that the princess was killed in Great Xia, but these accounts came from the reigning sovereign 538. Her later testimony accused him of murdering his father and younger brother, imprisoning her, and forcing the Little Princess into a marriage alliance intended to undermine Great Xia 479 551.

For more than twenty years, her son concealed her confinement, neglect, and abuse behind claims that she was peacefully cared for. Grand Tutor Peng eventually discovered her condition after the court proposed using her relationship with Xia Siheng to halt Great Xia’s invasion 538 540.

Appearance

Great Xia’s Empress Dowager

• Normally immaculate: Loves cleanliness and maintains a dignified, proper appearance; her mud-covered arrival at the Imperial Study astonishes the emperor 40.
• Rejuvenated complexion: After resting in a soil pit with Wanwan, her skin becomes smooth, delicate, and wrinkle-free. She appears more than twenty years younger 39 40.
• Conscious of her beauty: Repeatedly boasts that she is prettier than Consort Ling and credits Wanwan for her improved appearance 73 255.

Eastern Lin’s Empress Dowager

• Severely wasted: Grand Tutor Peng finds her thin as dry kindling, with sunken cheeks, tangled silver hair, slap marks, and old and new wounds 540.
• Blind: Her eyes are gray and unfocused; Xia Siheng’s reunion confirms that she cannot see him 546.
• Scarred: Reveals extensive scars during her public denunciation of the sovereign 551.
• Artificially restored: A lethal Gu Worm briefly gives her a radiant appearance suitable for the sovereign’s planned public display 546 551.

Personality

Great Xia’s Empress Dowager

Li Huantang combines fierce authority with conspicuous affection. Around Wanwan, she becomes playful and indulgent, joining the child’s burial games and repeatedly trying to secure her a place in the Imperial Family. Her enthusiasm can become excessive: she proposes imprisonment, confiscation, and execution for anyone opposing Wanwan’s elevation 15 39 40.

Her severity is not always impulsive. She deliberately spares Noble Lady Snow’s life while silencing her, explaining that outright execution could damage her relationship with the emperor. She also recognizes Consort Xian’s right to pursue ambitions outside the palace rather than remain confined for the emperor’s comfort 255 474.

Eastern Lin’s Empress Dowager

Eastern Lin’s holder remains perceptive despite prolonged abuse. Her excellent hearing allows her to overhear the sovereign’s plan to give her a fatal appearance-restoring Gu, and she knowingly uses his proposed public appearance against him 546 551.

Her strongest attachments are to her daughter, grandson, and people. She refuses to leave Eastern Lin, asks Xia Siheng not to kill his uncle personally, and ultimately exposes her son’s crimes to prevent civilians from suffering for his ambitions 547 551 555.

Abilities & Skills

Political Leadership

Great Xia’s Empress Dowager exercises authority over both palace and state affairs.

• Helped secure the emperor’s accession and intervened in government behind the scenes 435.
• Established a cooperative Imperial Family and delegated the stabilized inner palace to the Empress 315.
• Recognizes that military intervention requires a defensible public cause, not merely an advantageous agreement 535.
• Turns the attack that kills Xie Jin’an into grounds for action against Southern Yue while arranging assistance for Yan and her infant 537.

Investigation and Court Manipulation

Li Huantang identifies inconsistencies, traces political motives, and combines intimidation with reassurance.

• Questions Noble Lady Snow’s claim of rural hardship after noticing her uncalloused hands 254.
• Notices that the supposed Noble Lady Snow can speak despite having recently been poisoned into muteness 268.
• Connects Xiu’er’s specialized poison and equipment to influential court families rather than ordinary harem rivalry 315.
• Orders interrogation while instructing the Empress to promise Xiu’er rescue, preserving her willingness to cooperate 315.

Undercover Operations and Public Influence

Eastern Lin’s Empress Dowager possesses a record of covert service and lasting popular trust.

• Infiltrated the Southern Yue poison den while concealing her identity as empress 538.
• Retains sharp hearing despite blindness 546.
• Uses her reputation and visible injuries to overturn the sovereign’s claim of filial devotion 551.
• Cooperates with Xia Siheng’s staged withdrawal, helping create the conditions for the people to welcome Great Xia’s army 552 555.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Phoenix Hairpin — Great Xia: A gold hairpin taken from the Empress Dowager’s own hair and gifted to Wanwan after their first palace visit 15.
• Wushuang’s portrait — Great Xia: Kept in a secret chamber and supplied to support Consort Xian’s scheme against Eastern Lin’s ruler 473 474.
• White silk and poisoned wine — Great Xia: Presented to Noble Lady Snow when the Dowager turns her threatened suicide into a test; the wine ultimately leaves Snow unable to speak 254 255.
• Brocade box — Eastern Lin: Retrieved before the Dowager drinks the Gu-laced medicine and sent to her son as his “final opportunity.” He initially dismisses it as filthy 546 547.
• Appearance-restoring Gu — Eastern Lin: Consumes vital blood to restore youthful looks overnight, with death expected within three days. The Dowager knowingly drinks the medicine containing it 546.

Relationships

Great Xia’s Empress Dowager

• The Emperor — Her son. She reprimands and physically chastises him, especially when his favoritism threatens the Empress or Crown Prince 40 112 252.
• Xia Wanwan / Princess Ximing — Her cherished young companion. She indulges Wanwan’s unusual games, gifts her the Phoenix Hairpin, and persistently advocates making her a princess 15 39 40 112.
• Liu Wan — Wanwan’s mother. The Dowager initially attempts to arrange her remarriage to bring mother and daughter into the Imperial Family 40 112.
• The Empress — Successor to her management of the inner palace. She defends the Empress’s authority and teaches her investigative tactics 252 315.
• Xia Siheng — Works with her on threats involving Eastern Lin and Duke Yan; she entrusts him with politically sensitive information 326 327.
• Consort Ling — A longstanding rival and familiar companion whose quarrels with her are routine within the Imperial Family 73 255.
• Consort Xian — A restless consort whose ambitions the Dowager redirects into a scheme against Eastern Lin 473 474.
• Nanny Wei — Enforces her disciplinary orders, including the punishment of the Noble Lady Snow impostor 254 268.
• Duke Yan — She acknowledges his family’s service and responds compassionately to his dangerous pursuit of revenge 327 514.

Eastern Lin’s Empress Dowager

• The Ruler of Eastern Lin — Her son and abuser. He imprisons her, poisons her into silence, and attempts to exploit her popularity and family connections 539 540 546.
• Yue’er, the Little Princess — Her beloved daughter and Xia Siheng’s mother. Longing for Yue’er sustains her through confinement 538 547.
• Xia Siheng — Her maternal grandson, whom she calls “Heng’er.” Their reunion precedes her final requests concerning his uncle and Eastern Lin’s people 540 546 547.
• Grand Tutor Peng — Her defender and ally. His family owes its rise to her rescue of its Family Head from the poison-powder den 538 540 552.
• Duke Yan — Brings her to Xia Siheng’s military camp for their reunion 546.
• Eunuch Mo — The sovereign’s enforcer. He administers forced medicine, proposes the fatal Gu treatment, and orders her silenced during her public testimony 539 546 551.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Great Xia

Arc	Chapters	Major Events
Wanwan’s palace visits	15 39 40 41	Rescues and befriends Wanwan, joins her soil-pit games, experiences rejuvenation, and presses the emperor to make her a princess.
Imperial recognition	112 123	Learns she has been excluded from the secret surrounding Wanwan’s parentage and eagerly supports granting her a title. The emperor later adopts Wanwan as Princess Ximing while allowing her to remain with Liu Wan.
Noble Lady Snow conflict	252 254 255 268 270	Defends the Empress and Crown Prince, silences Snow, scrutinizes her replacement, and later outwardly compromises for the emperor’s health.
Xiu’er investigation	313 315 326 327	Takes control of the attempted assassination inquiry, uncovers Eastern Lin involvement, and seeks a discreet solution that preserves Old Duke Yan’s reputation.
Consort Xian’s mission	473 474	Supports Xian’s departure and supplies Wushuang’s portrait, converting her appetite for palace intrigue into a political operation.
Coup and expanding war	510 514 534 535 537	Becomes Duke Yan’s hostage during the coup’s aftermath, helps manage affairs while the emperor feigns unconsciousness, and shapes policy toward Southern Mei and Southern Yue.

Eastern Lin

Arc	Chapters	Major Events
Proposed bargaining chip	538 539 540	The sovereign plans to use her against Xia Siheng. Forced medicine restores her speech, and Peng discovers her abuse.
Fatal rejuvenation and reunion	546 547	Drinks the lethal Gu medicine, meets Xia Siheng, and entrusts him with her wishes.
Public denunciation	551 552	Exposes the sovereign’s crimes and her scars. Attempts to silence her provoke an uprising, and the people demand admission of Great Xia’s army.
The sovereign’s reckoning	555 556	Her participation in the withdrawal feint is revealed. The sovereign learns that his family had once recognized his potential, undermining his justification for abusing her.

The Chapter 547 farewell describes Eastern Lin’s Empress Dowager as dying after giving her final wishes, while Chapters 551–552 depict her subsequent public appearance and collapse from Gu poison 547 551 552.

Notable Quotes

“We can't be so impulsive, either. What would Liu Wan do if we confiscated the Marquis's Residence?”
— Great Xia’s Empress Dowager reconsidering her threats 40

“We cannot clip a woman's wings simply because it would hurt him. That isn't fair!”
— Great Xia’s Empress Dowager defending Consort Xian’s independence 474

“People of Eastern Lin, have you been living well all these years?”
— Eastern Lin’s Empress Dowager opening her address to the people 551