Li Zhiyi (neé Qian Zhiyi)
From Chinese 志 (zhì) meaning "will, purpose, ambition" or 智 (zhì) meaning "wisdom, intellect", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.
From Chinese 宜 (yí) meaning "suitable, proper", 毅 (yì) meaning "resolute, decisive, firm", 义 (yì) meaning "justice, righteousness", 益 (yì) meaning "profit, benefit", 怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony" or 仪 (yí) meaning "ceremony, rites"
From Chinese 理 (lǐ) meaning "reason, logic", 立 (lì) meaning "stand, establish", 黎 (lí) meaning "black, dawn", 力 (lì) meaning "power, capability, influence" (which is usually only masculine) or 丽 (lì) meaning "beautiful" (usually only feminine).
A common Chinese family name. The name literally means "money". )
From Chinese 洋 (yáng) meaning "ocean" or 阳 (yáng) meaning "light, sun, male".
The White Viper / the Snake Empress
1. Lady Qian Zhiyi
2. Noble Lady Xiu (sixth rank consort)
From Chinese 秀 (xiù) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding"
3. Concubine Xiu (fifth rank consort)
4. Consort Xiu (fourth rank consort)
5. Noble Consort Xiu (third rank consort)
6. Imperial Noble Consort Xiu (second rank consort)
7. Empress Li, formally Empress Xiaoyanwei
Xiao is a unisex Chinese name and has many meanings including 'dawn, morning', 'little' or 'respectful, reverent'.
From Chinese 艳 (yàn) meaning "beautiful, gorgeous" (which is usually only feminine) or 岩 (yán) meaning "cliff, rocks"
From Chinese 威 (wēi) meaning "power, pomp", 巍 (wēi) meaning "high, lofty, towering" or 伟 (wěi) meaning "great, robust, extraordinary"
8. Empress Dowager Yang (current title)
Sasso Corbaro Castle, Switzerland.
The Forbidden City, Beijing, China
Taoist, with an inclination for Confucian teachings.
Apart from her education in dance, strict, exacting, and fully self-imposed, her only other education consisted in training to be a wife. As little as the education she received was, she mastered both to their furthest extent. It was only in her time as a concubine that she was able to access learned scholars and eunuchs and vast collections of scrolls. When she was not dancing, seizing the favor of the Emperor, or manipulating her way through the harem, she learned from the scholars and the eunuchs. She educated herself in the Seven Military Classics and other works in warcraft, and from her surroundings in the Forbidden City how to navigate the complex politics of the Empire, honing her political will until she had fully (by the force of her own hand and no one else’s) put herself in the place of master puppeteer. In many other aspects, she is uneducated.
Mandarin Chinese and various dialects of Chinese, Mongolian, Sanskrit, Latin, Arabic, Portuguese — anything else, she has a eunuch translate for her.
First and foremost, above everything else, her country. There is no doubt about Yang’s dedication to China, above all allegiances. (Except, of course, that to the power that she wields. She believes none could control the Empire as well as her; and so the fate of China rests with her.)
The Li Clan and the Ming Dynasty.
The Ottoman Coalition and its member countries.
Xuanzhong Emperor (deceased) — husband.
Princess of the First Rank Xuanji — daughter.
Long, black hair that goes to her waist. When in public, held up in the traditional style with a bun, threaded with elaborate combs and gems.
Dark brown, almost black.
Lean and petite, graceful — honed perfectly and sharply for dance.
Yang speaks softly, almost in a whisper, yet imperious. It is incumbent on the room to quiet down and listen to every word that she has to say.
Keeping up appearances is important for the Empress Dowager. For her entire life, she has complied in toto with the beauty standards of the Empire. Her feet bound, her body stripped from hair, meticulously maintained to be free from odor, even correcting any habits that may be seen as imperfect, such as snoring.
Femme Fatale, The Grand Dame, Manipulative Bastard, the Evil Matriarch, My Beloved Smother, Regent for Life, The Man Behind the Man, President Evil, From Nobody to Nightmare, Rags to Royalty, The Vamp, Sleeping Their Way to the Top
Empress Dowager Cixi (historical), Yang Guifei (historical), Nüwa (Chinese mythology), Gaia (Greek mythology), Lady Macbeth (Shakespeare), Claire Underwood (House of Cards), Empress Chabi (Marco Polo), Petyr Bailish (ASOIAF), Olenna Tyrell (ASOIAF), The Evil Queen (Snow White)
Type 1 (the Reformer) with 1w9 wing.
conscientious, observant, perfectionistic, politically shrewd, elegant, patriotic
manipulative, ingenuous, abusive, power hungry
She clasps her hands together. Though hidden behind the elaborate sleeves of her garb, they squeeze together often, especially when matters grow pressing.
Yang likes to play xiangqi. She also reads, although it is less a hobby than a necessity for her goals. She used to dance, though as she has risen through the ranks her public performances have gone down to none. She now dances alone to non-existent tunes, careful not to be seen.
Each and every movement is made with careful precision. Her words carefully measured, even the tilts of her head and the gestures of her hand. She appears imperious and stoic, ever exacting and ready to find fault. Once she speaks, her interlocutor finds that her voice is soft, but they carry behind them a force.
Yang is careful not to show weakness. Wanting to maintain an image of almost inhumanity, she would never falter and show fear of anything. However, when the rain comes and lightning rumbles through the storm, the Empress Dowager is unusually tense.
She sticks to a strict schedule. She sleeps and wakes at the same time every night, save for emergencies and occasions that require the Empress Dowager to think late through the night. A light sleeper and a still sleeper, she makes no sound and is quick to jump at the slightest movement.
Facially sociable, especially when she was a dancer and a concubine rising through the ranks. As the Empress Dowager, she ensures that she has the loyalty of her eunuchs and handmaidens, and remains in good standing with the aristocracy, pleasing them to keep control of the political machinery of the Empire.
Yang steers clear from vices. She doesn’t decline to indulge for ceremonial purposes, but never to excess. She likes to keep a clear head at all times.
If addiction to power counts, then there’s that.