When Wu Zhengfeng announced her ambition to become Empress, Jill Young’s face was a masterpiece of shock. She never could have imagined that the leader of Spirit Eagle Palace, the 96-year-old martial arts legend, would have such a wild aspiration.
She stared at Wu Zhengfeng’s serious little face for a full five seconds, then suddenly unleashed her long-sealed ultimate move—Double Dragon Brain Drill! Gritting her teeth, she growled, “Do—you—even—know—what—you’re—saying?”
“Ahhh, ouch!” Wu Zhengfeng brushed off Jill’s hands, pouting in protest. “Of course I know, but it’s my dream! I have to make it happen!”
“Oh, come on—what a dream…” Jill slapped her own forehead, then looked at Wu Zhengfeng with a mix of admiration and disbelief. “I thought I was wild, but even I never dreamed of that—seriously, do you realize how insanely hard this is?”
“If men can be emperors, why can’t women? Didn’t Wu Zetian, our ancestor, make it to the throne back in the day?” Wu Zhengfeng clenched her fist, full of spirit. “No matter how tough it is, I’m going to claim the crown!”
“Wu Zetian… Are you sure you’re her descendant, not Wu Dalang’s?” Jill threw out a joke that even the Child Elder wouldn’t get, then dragged Wu Zhengfeng away. “Honestly, you have no clue—no concept at all. Come on, let me show you just how impossible this is.” So Jill took Wu Zhengfeng to the Sky Prison, telling her to hide and watch her interrogation with Walter Huan.
Back to the present—Jill propped up her chin. “Look, even though Walter Huan is our enemy, he’s not totally bottom-of-the-barrel. Some of what he says actually makes sense. I’ve traveled all over, and everywhere is a man’s world. Take Walter, for example. If he said he wanted to be emperor, eight out of ten people would call him a traitor, but maybe two would see him as a hero in chaotic times. But if you say you want to be empress, all one hundred out of one hundred would think you’re nuts.”
“I know it’s super hard…” Wu Zhengfeng tried to argue, but Jill raised her hand to stop her. “Okay, since you say you know, let me ask you two questions. First, how exactly do you plan to become empress? Wu Zetian made it thanks to luck and timing—are you hoping to sneak into the palace and out-scheme everyone like she did? No offense, but you and I are both not cut out for those beauty trap palace politics. And even if you were, who would you marry? The Song emperor? The Mongol khan? None of them fit!”
“Uh…” Wu Zhengfeng was stumped, unable to answer for a moment.
“Second,” Jill held up two fingers, “do you know how many philosophies, schools of thought, and religions in the world would stand against you?”
"How many?"
"All of them! In this era, almost every philosophy, school of thought, and religion would be against you! Confucianism, foreign religions—they all serve patriarchy! Out west, even farther than Persia, there’s this Cross Religion that straight-up calls women sinners by birth! It’s the Southern Song, Europe’s in the Middle Ages, the Middle East is at war—gender equality isn’t even a concept."
"But—but—the harder it is, the more I want to be emperor!" Wu Zhengfeng shook her fist and shouted, "The world is just too unfair, and I’m not having it! Someone’s got to do something, and that someone’s going to be me! I have to! I will!"
Watching Wu Zhengfeng scream with her eyes closed and gasping for breath, Jill opened her mouth, then just sighed and patted her head, softening her tone a bit. "Seriously, why do you want to be empress? You’re ninety-six, a top-tier martial artist—any time you show up, you can shake up the whole jianghu. If you really tried, you could be supreme in the martial arts world, no sweat. Why insist on being empress? That throne is just uncomfortable for anyone sitting on it."
Jill’s head pat calmed Wu Zhengfeng down. After a few breaths, she looked up and said, "I’ve been rebuilding Spirit Eagle Palace for fifty years now. In all that time, I’ve found that people in the martial world can do so little. The other day, during the fight, I heard you complain about jianghu folks, and honestly, I agree. All that talk about chivalry and justice sounds nice, but it means nothing for Spirit Eagle Palace. My disciples have traveled far and wide, but there are so many things we just can’t fix."
Wu Zhengfeng sighed. "Let me give you a simple example. Say a local squire abuses a good woman—what’s the right way to deal with it?"
"Well…" Jill thought it over. "Yeah, that’s a tough one."
"Exactly. If we went by jianghu rules, running that squire through with a sword wouldn’t be wrong. But then what? The woman’s reputation is ruined—she’ll probably never marry, and the neighbors will gossip forever. Killing the squire does nothing for her. But if you don’t kill him, even if you force him to marry her, she’ll still be beaten and treated like dirt, a slave in his house, with no status at all. Either way, her life is wrecked. Do you know Lanxiang?"
"I’ve met her."
"That’s her story. Lanxiang was really beautiful, but she suffered at the hands of a bad man. Eventually, she gave up and married into his family, but life only got harder. After having a daughter, the family didn’t care since she wasn’t a boy—they tossed the girl into the woodshed and ignored her. In the dead of winter, when her daughter got sick, Lanxiang knelt in the snow begging for help until she passed out, but no one cared. Later, my disciples happened by and helped her get a doctor, but her daughter didn’t make it. With her heart broken by that family, Lanxiang finally came to Spirit Eagle Palace."
"I see..." Jill sighed softly.
"That’s just one case—there are countless women suffering all over the world. And now, with war and monsters everywhere, it’s even worse! What good is being top dog in the martial world if you can’t save everyone? Can you give women freedom, justice, and equality? Why should women suffer and slave away? Why do men get three wives and four concubines while women have to obey and endure? Why?! That’s why I have to be emperor—no matter the obstacles, I’ll do it! I want to change everything, make women as free as men. That’s my dream!"
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She grabbed Jill’s hand and stared at her with big, earnest eyes. “I’m already ninety-six—life and death don’t matter to me anymore. Even if I die, I won’t regret it. But the women of Spirit Eagle Palace aren’t the same; they deserve happiness. So, when I go ‘risk my life,’ I need someone strong enough to protect this sanctuary with me. Jill, sis, you’re the only one. I’m begging you.”
As soon as the words "I’m begging you" left her mouth, the Sky Prison fell silent. Jill looked at Wu Zhengfeng, Wu Zhengfeng looked back, both searching each other's eyes for something. After a long moment, Jill suddenly curled her lip, made a "tsk" sound, and flicked Wu Zhengfeng’s forehead. "So dumb!" Then another flick. "So naive!" Then she grabbed Wu Zhengfeng’s cheeks and squished them every which way. "You’re talking total fantasy—none of it’s practical!"
"Waaah!" The little loli was so dazed by Jill’s squishing, she struggled for ages before finally knocking Jill’s hands away, grumbling, "I’m old enough to be your grandma! How can you treat me like this!"
"Like what? That’s nothing—I’ve got plenty more tricks up my sleeve." Jill poked and prodded Wu Zhengfeng all over. "You’ve talked a big game, but you’ve got no real plan. One minute you’re turning Spirit Eagle Palace into a fortress, the next you want it to be above it all—totally impossible!"
"Hmm..." Wu Zhengfeng hung her head like a disappointed puppy—if she had dog ears, they’d be drooping. "Alright, I get it. I’ll go by myself..."
"You get it, my foot!" Jill scooped her up like a parent grabbing a kid, and strode out. "Let’s find somewhere nicer and really talk this over."
Wu Zhengfeng instantly perked up. "So you’re saying you’ll help!"
"Let’s talk first," Jill still wouldn’t commit—she’s not one to make promises lightly. "But," she added, stroking her chin with a sly grin, "I just thought of a pretty good idea. A feminist empire? Now that’s interesting—I want to be a bona fide queen!"