Understanding Road to Empress characters is the single most important skill you can develop before stepping into the Sheng Dynasty’s deadly court. Every alliance you forge, every betrayal you survive, and every ending you unlock is ultimately determined by how well you read the people around you. This road to empress characters guide breaks down the full cast, the affinity system that drives every plot branch, and the strategic choices that separate a throne-seizing playthrough from yet another bad ending. Whether you are picking up the first game for the first time or diving into the expanded sequel, knowing who to trust—and when—makes all the difference.
At its core, Road to Empress runs on an affinity (sometimes called “favor” or “relationship”) system. When you make dialogue choices, complete quick-time events successfully, or side with a character during a crisis, that character’s affinity score increases. The game uses discrete increments—+1, +2, +3, +5, +8, and +9—where smaller gains come from casual or polite interactions, and the largest bonuses (+8, +9) are reserved for pivotal story moments that demand genuine emotional commitment.
Why does this matter? Because affinity thresholds gate entire story branches. For example, reaching a high enough affinity with Li Zhi in the early chapters unlocks exclusive dialogue options in later court scenes that can prevent a bad ending. Similarly, maintaining affinity with Grand Princess Gaoyang determines whether you can access the hidden route that leads to the Sun and Moon in Harmony ending.
A few critical nuances to keep in mind:
Understanding how Road to Empress characters interact with this system is the foundation of every successful playthrough. The next sections break down the cast in detail.
Three characters form the emotional and political spine of the entire game. Each one offers a distinct route with unique scenes, different political advantages, and—critically—different endings. Here is what you need to know about each.
Li Zhi, the Sheng Dynasty’s third emperor, is the most prominent romantic and political anchor in the game. When you first entered the palace as a low-ranking Cairen under the Late Emperor, Li Zhi was still the young Prince of Jin. Your shared survival through the treachery of court life forged a bond that the game treats as the “canon-adjacent” central relationship.
Key affinity milestones:
Route impact: High Li Zhi affinity unlocks the Phoenix Over the Realm ending path, where Wu Yuanzhao ascends as empress alongside Li Zhi’s emperorship. However, committing fully to Li Zhi means closing off most Li Tai and Gaoyang late-game branches. You can maintain moderate affinity with all three until approximately Chapter 12, at which point the game begins forcing exclusive choices.
For a full character profile, visit our Li Zhi character page.
Li Tai, Emperor Sheng’s fourth son and the Prince of Wei, represents the alternative power path. When you were still a Cairen, the two of you shared a connection—but he lost the succession struggle to Li Zhi and was exiled to his fief in Jun Prefecture. Years later, he returns, and the question of how much he has changed drives some of the game’s most emotionally charged scenes.
Key affinity milestones:
Route impact: The Li Tai route leads toward the Beyond the Chains ending, where Wu Yuanzhao escapes the palace entirely and builds a life on her own terms. This is one of the most narratively satisfying endings in the game, but it requires you to choose the Ganye Temple escape path in the prologue of Road to Empress II rather than returning to the palace. Our endings directory covers all major ending requirements.
For the full profile, see our Li Tai character page.
Grand Princess Gaoyang is the only character whose bond with you is rooted in friendship rather than romance or political alliance. She was once your closest confidante—bright, untamed, and careless of rules and customs. Then her father executed the man she loved, and you did nothing to stop it. She sealed her heart away, and the two of you became strangers.
Key affinity milestones:
Route impact: Gaoyang’s route is unique because it does not compete directly with Li Zhi or Li Tai for romantic priority. Instead, her affinity acts as a multiplier—if Gaoyang trusts you, she opens doors (literally and politically) that no other character can. Neglecting her, however, removes key escape routes during the Bianji crisis and the Cold Palace sequences.
Visit our Gaoyang character page for the complete breakdown.
While Li Zhi, Li Tai, and Gaoyang dominate the affinity system, understanding the broader cast of Road to Empress characters is essential for survival. These are the figures who create the obstacles, provide the intelligence, or determine whether your political maneuvering succeeds.
Liu Xi entered the palace alongside you. Once a childhood friend, the sins of your fathers turned her love into hatred, and she has tried to destroy you more than once. Now holding the rank of Shanggong, she is the game’s most persistent antagonist. Liu Xi does not have an affinity system in the traditional sense—her role is to create bad endings. Wrong choices in her interrogation scenes, accusations, and confrontations are the most common causes of sudden death in both Road to Empress I and II. In the Road to Empress II prologue, how you handle “Liu Xi’s Terms” determines whether you enter the main palace route or the escape-to-freedom side story. For her full profile, see our Liu Xi character page.
The Sheng Dynasty’s youngest empress comes from the powerful Wang clan of Taiyuan—her family name carries more weight with commoners than the Li imperial house itself. She brings you back from Ganye Temple not out of kindness, but to draw Consort Xiao’s favor away. Every interaction with Empress Wang is a political calculation. In Road to Empress II, her role expands significantly: she becomes a genuine strategic adversary whose moves must be anticipated, not merely survived.
Once the Empress’s maidservant, Consort Wei of Preciousness now follows Empress Wang’s lead in all things—at least half of that loyalty is for her son Li Zhong’s future. Her personal guard, Xi Xin, becomes one of your most valuable allies if you helped rescue Xi Xin’s brother during the Late Emperor’s reign. The Consort Wei storyline in Chapter 15 offers a critical choice: telling the truth about Wei’s daughter grants Consort Wei +9 satisfaction, which unlocks the “Climbing to the Top” sequence. Choosing to stoke your aunt’s hatred of Consort Wei, on the other hand, leads directly to a bad ending. Visit our Consort Wei character page for details.
Your aunt, the Late Emperor’s Consort of Elegance, was once your anchor in the palace. Now a Dowager Consort of the former reign, she keeps her title but little else—her influence pales beside Empress Wang’s meteoric ascent. Even so, she shields you with everything she has left. Consort Yang is one of the most emotionally complex Road to Empress characters because her protection is both sincere and insufficient. Relying on her too much leads to vulnerability; ignoring her removes a key early-game safety net. The Consort Yang character page explores her full arc.
For the full cast, browse our complete character directory.
Road to Empress II does not simply add more characters—it fundamentally expands how characters interact with gameplay systems. The sequel introduces three major mechanical layers that transform how Road to Empress characters influence your playthrough.
Every choice in Road to Empress II now feeds into five core attributes: Ambition, Fortitude, Strategy, Determination, and Prestige. These traits function as a secondary affinity system that runs parallel to character relationships. Where affinity determines who helps you, traits determine what kind of ruler you become.
The critical insight is that traits and character affinity are intertwined. For example, in the “What is most important?” key choice near the start of Road to Empress II, selecting “Power” gives Ambition +, while “Li Zhi’s Love” gives Fortitude +, Determination +, and “I want it all” gives Ambition +, Determination +, Strategy +. Your trait profile at the end of the game determines which of the personality archetypes you receive—the “Deadly Arsenic Trioxide” (cool, versatile), the “Romantic Datura” (loyal, ride-or-die), or the “Overachiever Lurid Bolete” (ruthless, ambitious). For more on how these archetypes are calculated, see our achievement guide.
Road to Empress II introduces a faction reputation layer. The four major factions—Ministers (bureaucratic establishment), Nobles (aristocratic clans), Military (generals and border commanders), and Religious (temple networks and spiritual authorities)—each track your favor independently. Your faction standing determines which advisors appear in court, which edicts you can issue, and which crisis responses are available. The game rarely warns you when a seemingly minor petition shifts faction balance, so maintaining awareness of your court’s power dynamics is essential. Our QTE guide includes tips for navigating the faction-heavy quick-time event sequences in Chapters 21–32.
The Memorial Review system lets you examine official reports and petitions from across the empire. Each decision you make on a memorial shifts faction balance and can affect character affinity downstream. This is where many new players waste resources—approving dramatic reforms that weaken essential factions, or refusing petitions that anger key allies. After completing the main story once, you unlock Court Mode, which allows you to preside over the court without replaying story branches, letting you experiment with memorial and edict combinations freely. For a deep dive into the historical inspirations behind these systems, see our real history guide.
The most common question players ask about Road to Empress characters is: Can I keep multiple routes open? The answer is yes—but only up to a point. Here is a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of when you must choose.
In the early game, you can maintain positive affinity with Li Zhi, Li Tai, and Gaoyang simultaneously. Focus on accumulating affinity with all three during this window. Do not skip any +5 or higher opportunities for any of them. The key is to avoid choices that explicitly favor one at the expense of another—which in practice means taking the neutral or diplomatic option when forced to pick between the princes.
From the Southern Mountain Hunt arc onward, the game starts forcing binary choices. The “Whose Hairpin?” decision in Chapter 7 and the “Your Pick” betting scene create divergent paths. You can still maintain two routes (most commonly Li Zhi + Gaoyang or Li Tai + Gaoyang), but not all three.
This is where you must commit. The “Gaoyang or Emperor?” choice in Chapter 12 and the “Ready to Bail Here?” decision in Chapter 14 are the final forks. After Chapter 14, your route is effectively locked. If you are aiming for the Phoenix Over the Realm ending, maximize Li Zhi affinity and choose to stay. If you are pursuing the Beyond the Chains ending, commit to Li Tai and choose to leave. If you want the Sun and Moon in Harmony ending, maintain high Gaoyang affinity alongside Li Zhi and navigate the Bianji crisis carefully. Full chapter breakdowns are available in our chapters directory.
Road to Empress II adds a second major fork in its very first chapter: return to the palace with Empress Wang, or escape Ganye Temple. This decision determines whether you play the main story (palace route) or the side story (escape route with Li Tai). You cannot access both in a single playthrough. The palace route features the full five-dimension trait system, Memorial Review, and Court Mode. The escape route focuses on Li Tai’s story and the Mirage Pavilion subplot, culminating in the Another Life and Beyond the Chains endings.
Mastering Road to Empress characters is not about memorizing a flowchart—it is about understanding the emotional logic that drives each person in the Sheng Dynasty’s court. Li Zhi offers belonging but demands loyalty. Li Tai offers freedom but requires you to abandon everything you have built. Gaoyang offers friendship but cannot protect you from the political consequences of your choices. Liu Xi, Empress Wang, Consort Wei, and Consort Yang each add layers of danger, intelligence, and moral complexity that make every playthrough feel genuinely different.
The affinity system’s +1 through +9 increments may seem mechanical, but they encode something the game does remarkably well: the difference between politeness and commitment, between alliance and devotion. A +3 choice means you were careful. A +9 choice means you meant it. And in a court where every word is weighed, that distinction is everything.
Whether you are chasing the Phoenix Over the Realm ending on your first run or exploring the Li Tai escape route in the sequel, start by knowing who your Road to Empress characters are, what they want, and what they will cost you. The throne is waiting—but so is the abyss.
For more guides, visit our blog or the official Road to Empress website. The game is available on Steam.