Empress Dowager

Biodata

Background / History

Marriage and separation from her son

The Empress Dowager resented her marriage to Qi Shou, the Late Emperor, which she attributed to the Great Ancestor. Disgusted by her husband, she recruited concubines for him to keep him away from her bed. She became pregnant at fourteen and endured severe vomiting, weight loss, and fear throughout the pregnancy 49.

She initially welcomed the birth of the future Qi Emperor, hoping that her son would give her something to live for. After allowing her only one glance, the Late Emperor had the infant taken away to be raised by the Great Ancestor. The Great Ancestor maintained that the imperial grandson was too exalted to be raised by a woman and prevented mother and son from meeting for five years 12 49.

At their first reunion, she knelt before the Great Ancestor and her son, who asked who she was. The Great Ancestor's praise of her “fine womb” compounded her humiliation: she felt reduced to her ability to produce an heir rather than recognized as a person or mother 12 49.

Acquisition of power

Initially, even as empress, she possessed neither the phoenix seal nor authority over the palace. She eventually gained influence by flattering the Late Emperor. His arrangement of joint rule between emperor and empress left the succeeding Qi Emperor with a divided government; he recovered roughly half the court's power while she retained the remainder 3 49.

The Late Emperor also gave her his half of the military tally for Chang'an's Garrison City Army, commanded by her younger brother, Sima Shu. This became a lasting obstacle to the reigning emperor's efforts to remove her 49.

After the Great Ancestor and Late Emperor were beyond her reach, she redirected her accumulated hatred toward her son. She resolved to make the imperial family suffer and wanted the Qi Emperor to continue hating her even after her death 49.

Appearance

• Naturally vermilion lips: Their shape is inherited by the Qi Emperor, Princess Baozhu, and Qi Yuanzuo; the descendants' lips appear thin and sharp when they are not smiling 20.
• Beauty: At thirty-eight, she still sees a beautiful woman in her mirror, although the narration emphasizes the fury and hatred in her expression 49.
• Religious presentation: She turns prayer beads and adopts a lowered gaze resembling a compassionate bodhisattva 12.
• Grooming: She is shown admiring the red polish on her nails 34.

Personality

The Empress Dowager deliberately opposes the Qi Emperor's preferences. She loathes Qi Yuanzuo because his father treasures him and favors Qi Chengyou because the emperor dislikes him. Her conduct makes familial affection a means of retaliation rather than a source of protection 1.

She invokes motherhood and filial duty to demand obedience, while openly expressing disgust toward the son she bore. The Qi Emperor's refusal to acknowledge her authority provokes destructive outbursts: she throws furnishings and ornaments at servants who dare not move even when injured 13 45.

Her benevolent religious manner conceals calculated cruelty. She disguises Lady Yin's humiliation as a prayer for the deceased empress and claims to have shaped Qi Chengyou's arrogance by abusing servants in front of him. She later announces that she wants to raise the Third Prince into a “lecherous, vicious brute” 12 45.

Authority & Influence

Position and court faction

• Ceremonial precedence: The crown prince is required to kneel to the Empress Dowager, the emperor, and the empress, unlike the emperor's other consorts 14.
• Participation in government: She presides behind a curtain during court proceedings and maintains a faction capable of contesting the emperor's decisions 11 19.
• Judicial opposition: In Xi Ming's abuse case, her faction argues that his wife and son should be punished for accusing him, while the emperor's faction demands his execution 19.
• Declining influence: The Qi Emperor transfers or demotes her court connections. By the Double Ninth Banquet, her military tally is her principal remaining source of leverage 26.

Military leverage

Palace influence

• Harem connections: She previously managed the harem for several years and continues interfering behind the consorts who administer it 32 34.
• Access to attendants: She has people serving Qi Chengyou, helping make her a suspect when poison is discovered on Tabbyback 37.
• Use of Annam: She threatens consequences involving the Prince of Annam unless the emperor releases Qi Mingyue, and brings Qi Mingyue's son into the palace without his permission 2 33.
• Limits on imperial retaliation: Even after the pregnancy confrontation, the emperor replaces her household staff rather than imprisoning her because of the military danger 49.

Relationships

• Qi Shou, the Late Emperor — Husband. She despised their marriage but cultivated his favor to obtain political authority and the military tally 49.
• The Great Ancestor — Raised her son and enforced their separation. She blames him for her marriage and the loss of her child, later provoking the Qi Emperor by cursing him 45 49.
• Qi Chongsi, the Qi Emperor — Biological son and political enemy. Her accusations exploit his longing for maternal affection, while his remaining emotional attachment makes killing her difficult 1 45 48.
• Qi Mingyue, the Elder Princess — Daughter whose release she demands after the rebellion, using Annam as leverage 2 3 11.
• Princess Baozhu — Youngest daughter, raised at her side. Despite an outward reputation for doting on Baozhu, her inconsistent affection leaves the princess sensitive and afraid of her 20 45.
• Qi Chengyou, the Eldest Prince — Favored grandson. She claims to have deliberately encouraged his arrogance and recklessness through the conduct he witnessed as a child 1 45.
• Qi Yuanzuo, the Crown Prince — Grandson she loathes for his resemblance to his father and the emperor's love for him. After witnessing the damage she causes, he resolves to help his father break free of her 12 48.
• The Third Prince — Temporarily entrusted to her after Lady Zhou's confinement. She exposes him to sexual encounters, intends to corrupt his character, and throws him into a pillar during her confrontation with the emperor 33 34 45.
• Sima Shu — Younger brother and military safeguard, commanding the Garrison City Army outside Chang'an 49.
• Lady Yin / Consort Yin — Target of a humiliating sesame-sorting punishment supposedly performed for the deceased empress's benefit 12.
• Shi Yu — Qi Mingyue's son, whom she brings to the Double Ninth Banquet after his mother's execution 26.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Original timeline

• Qi Yuanzuo remembers that the original novel described her favoritism toward Qi Chengyou and mistreatment of the crown prince, but provided few details 46.
• Her death occurred during a palace revolt whose circumstances were not explained in the original novel 46.
• The reborn Third Prince suspects that the Qi Emperor killed her; his belief is not confirmed by the supplied account 45.

Notable Quotes

“I went through untold hardships to give birth to him, and now I can't even raise him or discipline him?!” 13

“Everyone talks of gradual influence. When the Eldest Prince was little, I would beat and scold servants in front of him every time. Now I've raised him into an arrogant, reckless boy.” 45

“Why should he get away with it?! I want to see him weep rivers of tears!” 49