Katrina

“The truth is that he beat my sister Wu Ruyi to death in a fit of rage...A lifetime of caring for others, doing everything asked of her, and this is what she received in return. It made no sense to me. Isn't following the rules supposed to keep us safe? The only conclusion I could reach was that we, as women and girls, are given the wrong manual at birth. The rules taught to us were never meant to guide us to a good life. We follow them out of some blind hope of being rewarded with the same love and effort we give out, but how has that worked out for our mothers and their mothers before them? How many of them got the devotion they deserved for their sacrifices? Have any of them ever served their way into true respect?”
― Xiran Jay Zhao, Heavenly Tyrant

“Wow, I wonder why I don't want to be touched by a man who threatens my life on a daily basis!"

He pulls an offended face. "I do not do that on a 'daily basis.' Monthly at most. And only when you're thinking about divulging information that could destabilize Huaxia and/or attempting to kill me. The very fact that you remain alive is a testament to my patience.”
― Xiran Jay Zhao, Heavenly Tyrant

“Dwell not on a past that cannot be changed, empress. You'll miss the blessings of the present. The warmth of the sun, the scent of the trees. Things you would not think to cherish until you can no longer have them.”
― Xiran Jay Zhao, Heavenly Tyrant

“We could list each other's atrocities all day and not produce any change of mind, because this was never really about the morality of who deserves to live or die. This is a showdown between two classes of people with opposing interests. Whoever wins gets to tell the story.”
― Xiran Jay Zhao, Heavenly Tyrant