#Qin Terracotta Warriors

[blueiscoool]

New Terracotta Discovery at First Emperor’s Mausoleum in China

Archaeologists excavating the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang have uncovered a terracotta warrior depicting a high-ranking commander.

The Mausoleum of the First Emperor is the burial complex and mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the architect of China’s unification and founder of the Qin Dynasty.

Situated in Xi’an’s Lintong District, the mausoleum was built over a span of 38 years by a workforce of 700,000 labourers, as recorded in historical texts. The main burial chamber is located beneath a 76-metre-tall hillock (mound) shaped like a truncated pyramid.

What is known about the tomb interior comes from the “Records of the Grand Historian” by Sima Qian, who describes a vast chamber containing palaces and scenic towers, a coffin cast from bronze, and rare artefacts from across China.

Previous excavations around the complex have discovered thousands of warriors, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, musicians made from terracotta, and around 100 wooden battle chariots.

Archaeologists excavating Pit No. 2 (thought to contain a military guard) have recently uncovered a terracotta warrior depicting a high-ranking commander. According to experts, this marks the first discovery of a commander since the pit was first opened for excavations in 1994.

Archaeologists also found two high-level officer figurines, and five figurines dressed in contemporary armour accompanying the terracotta commander.

To date, only 10 high-level officer figurines have been discovered among the Terracotta Warriors, making this find a significant contribution to the study of Qin Dynasty military organisation and systems.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the archaeological excavation of the Qin Terracotta Warriors.

By Mark Milligan.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

This is one of the only terracotta warriors that was found almost completely intact.

Note the detail on the bottom of his shoe, showing that grip and traction were considered in footwear even 2,200 years ago.

Each life-sized clay warrior was crafted to be completely unique and there are no two terracotta warriors-among the 8,000 total—that are exactly the same.

Shortly after the completion of the tomb in 210-209 BC, it was looted for weapons and burned, causing the roof to collapse, crushing the terracotta warriors.

All the other terracotta warriors that are currently on display were painstakingly restored.

What's even more remarkable is that the terracotta warriors were originally painted in bright colors by skilled artisans.

Unfortunately, when they were exposed to air and sunlight during the excavation in the 1970s, the colors began to curl up almost immediately and disappeared within minutes.

These terracotta warriors were put in place to guard the tomb of the first emperor of unified China — Qin Shi Huang (18 February 259 BC – 12 July 210 BC).

To this day, the tomb has yet to be opened.

According to ancient historians, the tomb contains an entire kingdom and palace in which the ceilings are decorated with pearls to mimic the night sky.

The tomb is also said to contain extremely rare artifacts and has been rigged with crossbows to shoot anyone trying to break in.

To keep its location a secret, the workers were entombed with the emperor.

As described by Han dynasty historian Sima Qian (145-90 BCE) in the Records of the Grand Historian, he mentioned that inside the tomb, "mercury was used to fashion the hundred rivers, the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, and the seas in such a way that they flowed."

Modern tests have indicated extremely high levels of mercury in the surrounding soil.

[dangermousie]

In support of Hot General Summer (tm)

I realized that my recent poll not only lacked visual support but also left out a lot of my fave cdrama generals. So, in support of my Hot General Summer agenda:

Xiao Qi, Rebel Princess

Wei Wu Ji, Sound of the Desert

Ling Buyi, Love Like the Galaxy

Zhousheng Chen, One and Only

Zhao Yun, God of War Zhao Yun

Sima Yi, Secret of Three Kingdoms

Han De Rang, The Legend of Xiao Chuo

Zhan Beiye, Legend of Fuyao

Gao Chang Gong, Lan Ling Wang

Xiang Yu, Story of Han Dynasty

Cao Pi, The Advisors’ Alliance

Meng Tiang Fang, Ancient Terracotta War Situation

Chu Bei Jie, General and I

Zhu Zan, Jin Jiu Ling

Wolfie, The Wolf

Xiang Yu, Legend of Chu and Han

Cheng Yi, The Promise of Chang’an

Liu Xiu, Singing All Along

Huo Xin, Painted Skin the Resurrection

Meng Qi You, Glamorous Imperial Concubine

Yang Bros, The Young Warriors

Weng Gui, Princess Jieyou

Xiao Ping Zhang, Nirvana in Fire 2

Pei Zhao, Maiden Holmes

Ji Ye, Novoland Eagle Flag

Zhu Qi Zhen, Imperial Doctress (it’s a reach he’s an emperor. But he leads his force in battle and I wanted Wallace Huo there so...)

Yuan Ling, Lost Love in Times

Yi Xiao Chuan, The Myth

Gu Tingye, The Story of Ming Lan

Lu Bu, Three Kingdoms 2010

Xu Lingyi, The Sword and the Brocade

Yue Fei, Patriot Yue Fei

Xiang Yu, The Myth

Ping Zhang, Nirvana in Fire 2

Guo Jing, Legend of Condor Heroes 2008

Xiang Yu, The Legend of Qin

[its-not-a-pen]

warlord update:

hiiii i just wanted to thank everyone for the lovely comments! I had a lot of fun with the drawing and research, and it's a real privilege to see everyone engaging with the material.

People even pointed out stuff I missed, like how the warlord's luck turns around after he meets the LLL (whos banner animal is a lucky carp), I love designing by committee! sneak peak at my storyboard: introducing the CHAD Liege Lord!

men are disgusting they literally only want one thing (assassinating political rivals)

[afabstract]

'Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors' Documentary Review - Dives into Qin Legends

'Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors' on Netflix explores the historical significance of the sprawling necropolis uncovered in Xi'An, China, made for its first emperor.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4 out of 5. Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram) In 1974, one of the world’s largest necropolises was discovered in China: a grand mausoleum housing over 8,000 terracotta warriors built for the country’s first Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, the founder of the Qin dynasty, to protect him in the afterlife. Fifty years later, archaeologists continue to piece together the artifacts and…

[mutant-distraction]

Omar Djaknoun

The Terracotta Army

It was built between 246 and 206 BC. and is a faithful reproduction of the army that led the State of Qin, (end of the Warring States period, 476 - 221 BC), to victory over the adversaries and to the unification of the Chinese Empire.

In 1974, some farmers dug a well in Lintong County, about thirty kilometers away. from Xi 'an.

Thus it was that by chance, three graves containing the famous terracotta warriors were discovered, part of the funeral equipment of the first Chinese emperor Qin Shihuang, (Kingdom 221 BC - 210 BC).

The army is made up of reproductions of terracotta warriors, dressed in armor and equipped with weapons, placed to guard the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. About 8000 warriors, 18 wooden chariots, and 100 terracotta horses have been brought to light. It is a faithful replica of the army that had helped unify China.

[romanceyourdemons]

who would win: my strict “no new mugs” thrifting policy. or official emperor qin shi huang’s mausoleum site museum terracotta warrior mug

[m1male2]

On March 29, 1974, a peasant while digging a well to obtain water, discovered one of the most extraordinary archaeological finds: the Terracotta Warriors of Xi'an, China. These figures were built between 246 and 206 B.C. to protect the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the unifier of China and its first emperor. In all, more than 8,000 statues of soldiers, a cavalry of 150 animals, 130 chariots drawn by bulls, 520 horses and up to 40,000 arrowheads have been discovered along with dozens of bronze swords, spears, crossbows and other weapons. And more figures continue to be discovered. They are all uniformed according to their military rank and colored. And as a curious fact, no soldier has the same face.

[angstandhappiness]

@kittyrinn-aiko @oliverhaze My curiosity about the shields stems from having made a number of art shields in the Celtic buckler style. I suspect the design on the side may be for catching an opponents blade and locking it in place. The hand grab is very similarto what the Romans and Vikings used. The flat bottom may well be for uniformity when crouching down or bowing.

Interesting

The Restoration of Traditional Chinese clothing/Hanfu and weapons of Qin Dynasty from裝束復原團隊（中國裝束復原小組）

Qin copper shield . It is the only Qin Dynasty shield found so far. It is also the earliest and most complete bronze shield discovered so far.

Existing in : Emperor Qinshihuangs Mausoleum Site Park

Address：Lintong District, Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, China.

The terra-cotta warriors were originally painted. Due to deep underground, fire and other reasons, some of the paintings fell off, and some turned gray due to air and other reasons. When unearthed, most of the paintings on the surface of the terracotta figures had been lost.

After being buried for more than 2,000 years, the pit was burned down, collapsed and washed away by mountain floods. In addition, many harmful factors from underground caused the loss of most of the paintings on the surface of the terracotta figures. If not all of the excavated areas had been burned by fire, people would probably have seen elaborate colored terracotta warriors. And those remaining a few paintings, preservation is not good, a little attention will fall with the soil, if not effective protection, the remaining painting will soon be gone.

We found that the armyof the Qin have no uniform color except for their armor. All the clothes they wear are self-provided. Due to the “collapse of rites and music” at the end of the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-256 BC), the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC) was also in that era of “collapse of rites and music”, and the colors of costumes were “not forbidden by the people”. Therefore, the colorful clothing colors of the Terra-cotta warriors were popular colors among the people at that time.

[1americanconservative]

The Terracotta Army

It was built between 246 and 206 BC. and is a faithful reproduction of the army that led the State of Qin, (end of the Warring States period, 476 - 221 BC), to victory over the adversaries and to the unification of the Chinese Empire.

In 1974, some farmers dug a well in Lintong County, about thirty kilometers away. from Xi 'an.

Thus it was that by chance, three graves containing the famous terracotta warriors were discovered, part of the funeral equipment of the first Chinese emperor Qin Shihuang, (Kingdom 221 BC - 210 BC).

The army is made up of reproductions of terracotta warriors, dressed in armor and equipped with weapons, placed to guard the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. About 8000 warriors, 18 wooden chariots, and 100 terracotta horses have been brought to light. It is a faithful replica of the army that had helped unify China.

[grand-theft-carbohydrates]

first day as the envoy of Yan, and i have a brilliant, amazing, fool-proof plan to assassinate the warmongering tyrant of Qin. I've got the head of a famous general inside a box, a poison dagger hidden inside a map and my backup is ruthless murderer who killed a man at age 13. mark my words, this day will go down in history!

update: my backup got cold feet and became catatonic with fear the moment we set foot in the palace. i quickly spun a story about him being a country bumpkin who was suffering culture shock but now the guards are suspicious and i have to approach the throne room alone--well, mostly alone. Oh, General-Inside-A-Box, we're really in it now.

update: the Warmonger laughed at my joke! i am going to get a good evaluation for regicide, which is normal to want and possible to achieve.

update: it's time to present the map. my palms are sweaty, knees weak and this scroll feels so heavy. i regret eating so much of my niang's dalu mian beforehand because someone didn't put enough salt inside this box and the general (heaven rest his brave soul) is starting to smell and to be honest it's making me a little nauseous. the fear rises in my gullet, strong and acrid, threatening to choke me, but i force it down and put on a brave front, like a swan on a tranquil lake, kicking like mad underneath. this is my one opportunity and i cannot let it slip away. Yan is too small to meet the might of this tyrant in open battle. for the sake of my people and all that i love, i must prevail.

update: i missed.

update: i am now chasing the Warmonger around the throne room. he cant unsheathe his Hugely Impractical Ceremonial Sword and none of his ministers are permitted to carry weapons so they just stand on the sidelines yelling advice. eventually the court physician comes to his senses and throws his medicine bag at me, giving the Warmonger an opening to finally get his sword out and cut me down. i throw my knife at him (also missed) as a final act of defiance but frankly speaking, there's not much face left to salvage here. when i enter the afterlife, the general is laughing so hard his head almost falls off again. i am never going to live this down.

update: I go down in history as a hero and one of the Five Great Assassins. really makes you wonder about the other four.

update: oh my god! my best friend is here too! what a sight for sore eyes, i can't wait to catch up and play some tunes with him!

notes under the cut:

The story takes place in 228 BC, the King of Qin is in the middle of a brutal war of conquest. In the span of just ten years (In 230--221 BC) he will unify china and become the first Emperor (the terracotta warriors belong to him). He will go down in history as both a cruel tyrant and brilliant statesman, to call him influential is to say the Yangtze river is "just a big puddle."

Jing ke -- (the assassin) originally hails from the state of Wei, which was conquered by Qin, afterwards he became a retainer of Yan and joined the plot to seek revenge. I simplified the story a lot for the sake of narrative clarity.

General Huan Yi -- former general of Qin who lost favour with the King. In an absolute bro move, he agreed to commit suicide and let his head be used as a "gift" for the assassination attempt. I couldn't find any sources on how severed heads were preserved during this time, but drying + curing with salt seemed pretty reasonable so i went with that.

yes, i did just combine the Second Century Warlord with Eminem to create an unholy abomination that is the deepest of deep cuts. 娘 Niáng -- [Mum] considered archaic 打卤面 Dǎ lǔ miàn--braised noodles

Jing Ke's buddy Gao Jianli (who is a famous musician) ALSO tries to kill King Qin to avenge his friend's death. He was recognised and blinded before his first attempt, but was allowed to stay. During this time, he ingratiated himself with the king and hid weights inside his instrument, biding his time until he could get close enough to take a swing (spoiler: he also missed).

[dangermousie]

List of completed cdramas I plan to watch/rewatch

I’ve seen a lot of them in whole or in part (tho most so long ago it’s like starting from scratch, also I am terrible at finishing) but I haven’t a bunch, either.

Here is what you might see in this tumblr (it will take me probably two years to get through all of this tbh, also I am sure I am forgetting stuff)

The Advisors Alliance both seasons

As Flowers Fly and Fade Across the Sky

Beauty’s Rival in the Palace

Bichunmu

Big Shot/Da Ren Wu

Bu Bu Jing Xin

Chinese Paladin 1, 3, 5

Cuo Dian Yuan Yang

The Dream of Chang’an

Dugu (both dramas)

Empress of China (I have uncut version with Russian subs)

Gong 1-3 seasons

Female Prime Minister

The Firmament of the Pleiades

The Four

Four Women Conflict

General and I

Glamorous Imperial Concubine

God of War Zhao Yun

The Great Ambition

The Great Shaolin

Handsome Siblings 2005

Ice Fantasy

The Imperial Doctress

The Investiture of the Gods

The King’s Woman

The Lady and the Liar

Lan Ling Wang

The Legend and the Hero

Legend of Banshu

Legend of Condor Heroes 2008

Legend of Fuyao

Legend of Heavenly Tear

The Legend of the Military Seal

Legend of Mulan

The Legend of Qin

Listening Snow Tower

Little Fairy

Longest Day in Chang’an

Lost Love in Times

Love and Destiny

Love and Fight with the Terracotta Warrior

Love Better than Immortality

Love and Redemption

Novoland Eagle Flag

Novoland Tribes and Empires

Orphan of Zhao

Patriot Yue Fei

The Promise

The Promise of Chang’an

Qin Dynasty

Rebel Princess

Red Dust

Return of the Condor Heroes 2006

The Rise of Phoenixes

Rouge Snow

Siege in Fog

Singing All Along

Secret of the Three Kingoms

The Shanghai Bund

Song of the Clouds

Sound of the Desert

Song of Glory

Starry Night Starry Sea (period season)

The Story of Han Dynasty

The Story of Minglan

Three Kingdoms 2010

Too Late to Say I Love You

Under the Power

Untouchable Lovers

Vigilantes in Masks

The Virtuous Queen of Han

Wu Xin

Xuan Yuan Sword

Young Blood

The Young Warriors

Zu Legend

Man, I have enough to cover me until inevitable WW3 starts and we all have to depart for our bunkers.

[punisheddonjuan]

Seriously, Tumblr's "For You" tab loves to show me inexplicable bot accounts. I don't understand their purpose, it can't be monetary, there aren't any payouts on Tumblr, and it can't be for clout, because again, it's Tumblr. A lot of them are like this one and pump out hundreds of nearly identical posts like these:

But Tumblr's "For You" tab also loves to show me accounts that are similarly inexplicable but the work of a very real (and very neurodivergent) person who pumps out hundreds of nearly identical posts like these:

Not gonna post this guy's account name because I think he's cool and I want him to keep doing his thing and I wouldn't want anyone bugging him. With internet oddballs, my policy is strictly "look, but don't touch, just let them do their thing".

I love when Tumblr shows me a blog where I honestly can't tell if it's a bot or the world's most autistic man.

[its-not-a-pen]

according to the historian Ban Gu: "when I heard about Zhang Liang's bravery I thought he would be a macho man but he actually looks super girly. Well, serves me right for judging a book by it's cover! As Confucious said 'when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me.'" <- slightly paraphrased.

in the words of Emperor Gaozu himself, "Zhang Liang's strategy from the tent could decide the outcome of a battle 1000 miles away." in light of this, i decided to draw him in a pose similar to L from Deathnote, since he's a modern incarnation of the East Asian Genius Twink Strategist. it's all come full circle.

Note: this twink is 40 years old

the hairdo was reverse engineered from this Han dynasty mural. like i said before, not all mens hairstyles from this time had that signature "high and tight" look and it's something i'd like to see more of! the microbangs are a little fanciful so i'll probably be ditching it later, but i want to at least show it here. i think it adds something to the look.

this mural could have been made as late as 100 years after his death so i wont vouch for the accuracy, but i do like to pay homage to the earliest known art of these people.

there are several ways to get a loose bun, so i just picked one from the terracotta warriors that i liked (bottom left).

bonus fact! he's a member of the "tried and failed to assassinate Qin Shi Huang club" population: 3

his assassination technique was equally shitty but he made it out alive and avoided the nation-wide manhunt so that counts for something at least.

[soumyajitg461]

😞Maybe you cried after reading this 😔

Master Tigress Origin: In the ancient China, tiger's protect everyone from the Evil spirits and demon's. In that time a famous emperor rules Over the "Lanzhu" City. Name - "Qin shi huan"- he build the "Great Wall of China" to protect everyone from the demon's and monsters. He also created terracotta army tradition, And he is the first emperor who unified all States in one piece in China. He had Two Son's - Name - Fusu his Eldest son and Wuxi his youngest son. After his father's death. One day a powerfull demon attack in "Lanzhu City" and attacks on everyone and Steals everyone's life force. Wuxi died during that war. But that demon is still alive. Fusu attack that Demon Until he sickly Injured, Fusu and his wife somehow Escape from there, fusu Oaths i will kill that demon someday! and Travel through lands and lands for Help. They found a Village and they start living there. After a Year they have a Child a girl with beautiful eyes, and smooth fur they give her a name- (Àixīyǒng) after some days later that demon Attack that village also. Fusu attack that Demon but his wife says we need to protect our Child first. Fusu: Agree with his wife but Hesitatedly. He realised he needs to protect his daughter first. So they leave that Village and came in the valley of peace They found this valley covered with mountains and bamboo forest, but there everyone gets fear from them and says you are a monster leave our village! because they never seen a tiger before.. so Fusu and his wife were leaving. They see a Orphanage near at the valleys End. They leave (Àixīyǒng) mean Tigress at the front door. And go away... The End.

Ok maybe you was thinking.. why valley's people are so rude and mad at them. because in that time, in the valley of peace only Sheep's, goats, goose's, Rabbits,Ox Resident's. I means This all are prey of tiger so They hate tiger's. We seen this before in the Kung fu panda secret of the furious 5 (master Tigress episode) That's why when owner of the Bao gau Orphanage and other Children discover that it's a baby of tigers they are so fricking mad. That's why they call her a ( MONSTER )

But this is not truth She is just so much powerful and she has sharp claws and sharp tooth's.

When I was a kid i wonder why tigress get's so angry all time? But now I know Why she always look like she is angry. But actually She is firm, disciplined, focused, careful. And another reason is Shifu's rude behaviour you know always mood off person 😁 from Tigress's childhood she lost her parents, her home, and shifu rises her through hard training without any friends, and shifu never show Pride and much love to her. Cause shifu afraid from ti lung's past happens. Ohh that's so horrible 😨 for tigress. When Tigress is younger shifu train her like this.. tigress wake up in the morning and starts kung fu traning and it's end's at afternoon. I mean she missed all Fun,happiness, humour, friends. Ohh my god! Just think guys, like She is a robot that just Obbying Shifu's Oder. That's why she looks angry always. But truth' is She is empty from inside. She is always tries to be serious and focused. Also She knows how exactly someone feels when someone lost their parents. that's why she understands Po. And THAT'S WHY SHE IS WORTHY FOR THE DRAGON WARRIOR TITLE. ( KFP 4 sucks 😞)

And one last thing... (Àixīyǒng) It is Chinese name. That Means-

* 愛 (ài):Love

* 希 (xī): Hope

* 勇 (yǒng): Bravery, courage

[pink-pages]

Iron Widow

Spoiler alert

I picked up this book praying to god that it would be good because I spend half my life lurking around Xiran Jay Zhao’s TikTok and I didn’t want to let them down by leaving a bad review. I didn’t have to worry. Iron Widow was fucking fantabulous. It was so angry and rightfully so because that world is horrible. The most horrible thing about Huaxia is that different aspects of it are a reality for different women all over the globe. Women and even young girls are still being essentially sold as brides in some parts of the world. In other parts of the world girls are being denied an education. Even in the USA, where I live, which is supposed to be more progressive about women’s rights, women have lost the right to decide what to do with their own bodies in some states and there’s even a movement to take away women’s rights to vote. I still think that, at least from my (admittedly privileged) perspective things can still be solved nonviolently and we’re not quite at the “brutally taking over the country” level yet.

I think the most striking bit of Iron Widow for me was when Zetian realized that the folks from central command and all the soldiers were more scared of her, a woman who had only done what men had been doing for years, than a literal family annihilator. In the USA, all this push back against women’s rights to abortion and rights to vote came after a big feminist movement (#Metoo). All the men in power try to keep women downtrodden because they’re scared of women with power. Just something to think about.

Aside from the obvious feminist aspect of the book, one of the first things that I noticed about Iron Widow was the disability representation. The main character, Wu Zetian, has to use a cane to walk. I feel like physical disability representation, particularly ones that get in the way of every day mobility, are not present in YA literature much unless the book is specifically about the main character overcoming their disability. I was really happy for this type of representation. Finally a disabled character that wasn’t defined by their disability.

Another aspect of Iron Widow that I loved was the historical aspect. For one, all the place names mentioned (Sui-Tang border, Zhou province, and Ming province) were named after historical dynasties of China. I should know, my AP World History teacher made my whole class memorize the dynasties song. It’s been 5 years and it still haunts me in my sleep. Also, Wu Zetian was very clearly based off of the Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang dynasty. The Qin Zheng emperor dude was clearly based off of Shi Huangdi, China’s “first emperor.” Even his tomb in the volcano was like Shi Huangi’s tomb with the terracotta warriors. Rongdi was a word used to refer to certain tribes of people not of Han Chinese descent and the Xianbei tribe was a very important one. I’m sure there are more historical Easter eggs, I just didn’t notice them.

Iron Widow is the first YA book I’ve read that features a polyamorous relationship and I personally love it. I think the dynamics between Yizhi, Shimin, and Zetian are perfect. An added bonus is that I didn’t have to read about some dumb fighting over the girl part or “oh no, who should I choose?” That gets boring fast. Part of me kind of wished that Zetian would have a female love interest so we could read about a lesbian couple overthrowing the patriarchy but alas, we can’t get everything.

I do think that the ending was a bit too easy, though. It feels like it should be harder to take over the country than flying in on a robo-dragon thing, destroying some stuff, and declaring yourself the Iron Empress. I don’t know how I would have written it, though, cause I guess it might be pretty jarring to see this super powerful robo-dragon with super powerful pilots, one of whom hasn’t been seen in over two centuries. It probably would have been pretty hard (and stupid) to try and fight back, still, I’d like to have seen someone try (and more than just by holding hostages).

Characters

Wu Zetian: Zetian did things that I’ve been waiting for YA book characters to do for ages. Her just daring the soldiers to shoot her when they were trying to figure out what to do with her after surviving Li Shimin. Taking advantage of her untouchable position in different situations. That was some bad bitch behavior. I approve. I also like how you can see her character evolving as she realizes the complexities of her world. Like, somehow she becomes more empathetic and more ruthless at the same time. I think it’s because the more she learns about her world and the people around her, the more attachment she develops for some characters (like Shimin) and the more hate she develops for other characters (An Lushan). You also see her will to live increase as she goes from thinking of herself as just another cog in the machine to realizing that she can make a big change.

Li Shimin: I’m probably going to have hordes of angry fans coming at me for this comment, but Shimin was kind of disappointing to me. I think it’s because I was expecting dark humor and wry comments but instead I just got dark and serious. I mean, it makes sense when you consider his backstory, but still I wish we could’ve gotten some humor out of him. Some indication that he feels things other than anger, guilt, or sadness. Of course, that doesn’t mean I didn’t get invested in his fate. No, I’m still desperate to find out if Zetian manages to get him back. I’ll have to wait until December to find out though.

Gao Yizhi: It should come as no surprise to anyone who’s read my past book reviews that Yizhi is my favorite character. I mean, he basically reads as a blueprint for “Pink’s Fictional Crushes,” the rich pretty boy sweetheart with a hidden ruthless side and most importantly that long k-drama/c-drama hair. I’ve gotta say, I was not expecting him to be the comic relief, but he kind of was. I mean, some of his lines were just golden “you can’t shoot me; I’m rich!!” The only thing that kind of disappoints me about Yizhi is that he doesn’t seem like a strong character. I mean, he clearly is because it definitely takes a strong character to pew pew laser beam their dad, but for most of the story, he was kind of just Zetian’s fanboy. I’m really hoping in the next book we see more of his personality separate from Zetian.