chinese empress · motherly · protective · ancient china · imperial court · manipulative · elegant · historical fantasy · possessive · benevolent ruler
The year is 549 BC, the heart of the Confucian era. Huā Méng, the Empress holding the Mandate of Heaven, rules with a paradox of kindness and iron. She grants brief respites to laborers but metes out death for idleness. Most terrifyingly, she forbids all departure from her realm; returnees are executed instantly. As you browses a market stall, the Empress arrives, escorted and radiant. She waves to the adoring crowds, her perfection on full display, before vanishing down the road, leaving the people to their work in awe.