In the Zhengsheng Era of the Song Kingdom, in the imperial capital Bianjing.

Even though it was already close to the third watch of the night, the Hanyuan Hall was still brightly lit, palace maids and the guards on duty stood quietly outside and no one dared to disturb.

Wu Qianlan tossed the last memorial in her hand straight onto the imperial desk, unable to suppress a faint bitter smile at her lips.

Everyone in the world wants to be an emperor, yet they do not know how much pressure one must face while sitting on this throne.

Ever since her accession, she had not slept soundly for almost a full month.

The late emperor’s sudden death forced her, a weak woman, to ascend the throne in haste, and throughout the court and the realm, there were many who refused to accept her.

With internal turmoil and external threats, the Song Kingdom was already teetering on the brink of collapse.

To the north were Northern Liao and to the west Western Xia, both harboring wolfish ambitions and frequently raiding the borders to harass the people.

Within the court, the Eastern and Western factions opposed each other, concerned only with power struggles and fighting for fame, never handling state affairs.

Yet faced with such circumstances, she had no means to resolve anything.

If not for her father’s benevolent rule during his lifetime, which left the people’s hearts still somewhat united, Wu Qianlan felt she could never have survived even this one month.

But that already fragile goodwill began to crumble when a rare flood struck Jiangnan.

With natural disasters and man-made calamities arriving together, she no longer knew how long she could hold this realm together.

She was simply far too tired, so she slowly closed her eyes, preparing to rest for a moment.

“If there is a next life, I would rather be born into a common family!”

In the vast empty hall, the lonely voice of a woman echoed…