Third Emperor of the Sheng Dynasty (based on Emperor Gaozong of Tang)
Li Zhi, the third emperor, is a complex figure whose gentle exterior conceals a calculating mind. He first met Wu Yuanzhao when he was still Prince Jin, and their bond has been the most constant force throughout the story. Despite his reputation as a weak ruler controlled by his empress, the game reveals a man who deliberately chose to share power with the woman he loved — and who may have been plotting the throne long before anyone suspected.
Li Zhi's route requires consistent loyalty and emotional honesty. Maximize his favor by choosing him in pivotal moments (hairpin choice in Ch5, sharing secrets in Ch7-8, standing beside him in Ch15-16). His true ending requires near-maximum favor.
Li Zhi is the male lead of Road to Empress and the character around whom the game’s true ending is built. Introduced as Prince Jin and eventually crowned the third emperor of the Sheng Dynasty, he is based on Emperor Gaozong of Tang — a ruler history remembers as weak and dominated by his empress. Road to Empress deliberately argues the opposite: in the game, Li Zhi is a man who understood that true power lies not in domination but in partnership, and who may have been plotting his path to the throne long before anyone suspected. For players, he matters for a simple mechanical reason — his favor stat is the single most important number in both games.
When the story begins, Li Zhi is Prince Jin, a royal prince visible in the garden but far above a low-ranking concubine’s station. His trajectory from prince to emperor runs parallel to Wu Yuanzhao’s own rise, and the two arcs are structurally intertwined: the court faction politics that surround him — his brother Li Tai’s rival claim, his uncle Chancellor Zhangsun’s grip on the ministries — become the protagonist’s problems as much as his own.
As emperor, Li Zhi occupies the most exposed position in the game. The aristocratic establishment, represented by Chancellor Zhangsun, treats him as a figurehead to be managed, while the rear palace treats him as the prize to be won. The game’s portrayal consistently undercuts his reputation for passivity: his gentleness is a chosen instrument, and his willingness to share authority with the woman he loves is framed as a deliberate political philosophy rather than weakness.
Li Zhi is typed INFJ — the same type as Wu Yuanzhao — and the game uses the match to create its central tension: two people who see through every facade, forced to decide whether to be honest with each other or keep playing the game. His INFJ manifests as quiet intensity. He observes everything, plans carefully, and acts decisively when the moment demands it.
His key traits reinforce the pattern: calculated gentleness, fierce protectiveness toward those he loves, secret ambition, and a consistent preference for emotional bonds over political convention. His favorAttribute is listed simply as “Li Zhi +N” — a fitting summary, since favor gains with him are the currency that gates the most important branches and endings in both games.
Li Zhi’s documented appearances span both games:
His name anchors both true endings: Phoenix Over the Realm in RtE I and Sun and Moon in Harmony in RtE II, each requiring maximum Li Zhi favor across every chapter.
Li Zhi’s route rewards consistency and emotional honesty. The documented favor beats are the Chapter 1 garden approach, the Chapter 5 jade hairpin, standing beside him in Chapters 15–16, and the Chapter 16 shout that carries your voice to him. His true ending requires near-maximum favor, which in practice means choosing him at pivotal moments across the whole game rather than playing both sides indefinitely — the Chapter 15 “play both sides” option survives, but the game warns that trust is fragile.
In Road to Empress II, players report that raw affinity is not a shield: Chapter 22’s pregnancy gambits show that even +99 affinity can end in a bad ending if the underlying choice is reckless. Typically, the strongest Li Zhi playthroughs pair high favor with disciplined, non-desperate choices — let the bond work for you instead of spending it.