Yusheng Doran

Yusheng Doran was the third Empress of the Doran Clan to rule in her own right. She's the main reason why there is such great division within the Doran Clan.

## Yusheng Doran

### Aliases

The Great Divider Her Majesty the Empress

### Relatives

Mingyu Doran (brother, deceased)
Qiang Doran (husband, deceased)

Daiyu Doran (sister-in-law, lover, deceased)

Dongmei Doran (sister-in-law, deceased)

Donghai Doran (nephew, deceased)

Jianyu Doran (great-nephew, deceased)

Lilah Wilkes (great-great niece)

Meirong Doran (great-great niece)

Mengyao Doran (cousin, deceased)

Guozhi Doran (father, deceased)

Yanyu Doran (mother, deceased)

Mengying Doran (aunt, deceased)

Peizhi Doran (uncle, deceased)

Zhilan Doran (grandmother, deceased)

Guiren Doran (grandfather, deceased)

Devin Doran (ancestor, deceased)

Winton Doran (ancestor, deceased)

### Affiliation

The Doran ClanGuozhi Faction (posthumously)

### Occupation

Empress of the Doran ClanHead of the Doran Clan

## Biographical information

### Appearance

Yusheng was tall and muscular and looked dressed androgynously, wearing a male hanfu and used the emperor's crown as opposed to the empress's crown. Before becoming emperor, she wore her hair in a top-knot and a simple wooden hairpin.

It's said she took after her mother Yanyu who was considered the most beautiful person within the clan at the time. Members of the Mengyao faction say she used her good looks to deceive men.

### Personality

It's unknown what Yusheng was really like, as it differs depending on the faction. Members of the Mengyao Faction describe her as a selfish woman who put gaining power before the wellness of the clan. Within the Guozhi faction, however, she's described as a strong woman who wanted to ensure greatness for the clan as Mengyao was extremely weak.

### History

On his deathbed, Guiren Doran ordered his two sons, Guozhi and Peizhi, to duel to become the next head. Guozhi, Yusheng's father, was much stronger but wasn't particularly interested in becoming the next head. Peizhi, Mengyao's father, was weak but was quite intelligent and wanted to become the next head more than anything.

The night before the duel, the two men agreed that Guozhi would lose the duel on purpose but would get to marry Yanyu, the prettiest woman in the clan, who both Guozhi and Peizhi wanted to marry.

Growing up, Yusheng felt that this was the wrong decision as her father would have certainly won in a duel against Peizhi. Additionally, Mengyao was widely viewed as incompetent, as he grew up extremely spoiled and arrogant. She began to train intensely, planning on challenging Mengyao during his coronation.

When she challenged Mengyao, he had no choice but to accept in order to preserve his honor.

According to the Mengyao faction, the duel was long and Yusheng only won because she hid a dagger in her sleeve. According to the Guozhi faction, Yusheng won the duel fairly within a minute.

Either way, Yusheng was crowned the new Head of the Doran Clan. Shortly after her coronation she married Qiang Doran, although it was a loveless political marriage. They were never close and never had any children.

However, through this marriage, Yusheng grew close to Qiang's sister, Daiyu. The two of them became lovers and stayed together until Yusheng's death. Most of Yusheng's diary was dedicated to preserving memories the two of them shared together.

During her reign, she improved access to education, distributed salaries throughout the clan, and opened several more Doran fronts throughout Estines. However, she intentionally didn't fundamentally change anything. It's revealed in a diary entry, among other things, that Yusheng feared that changing the clan too much would lead her to getting ousted and would prevent a woman from becoming head ever again.

Yusheng got seriously sick and died within a month at the age of sixty-seven. Despite her controversial life, she was given a grand funeral service that even members of the Mengyao faction attended. Yusheng was succeeded by Donghai Doran.

### Legacy

Although her time as head was overall good, Yusheng isn't generally remembered fondly, even among Guozhi faction members.

Because she was a woman, most Doran clan members believe she should have kept her head down and allowed Mengyao to be coronated. Even members of the Guozhi faction who argue she was a good ruler rarely put time or effort into supporting her as she was a woman who stepped out of line.

Meirong thanked Yusheng in her coronation speech as a woman who helped pave the way for women like Meirong, who would be able to enact serious, systematic change and that her female lover would be known in the clan as her wife.

### Relationships

#### Daiyu Doran

Although both Daiyu and Yusheng were married, they were lovers. They were deeply in love with one another, with Yusheng writing various declarations of love and emotional entries of their time together, writing that she feared death only because she feared losing Daiyu. Yusheng began her diary when she grew sick in order to preserve their memories together for Daiyu. According to Yusheng's diary, Daiyu laid in bed with her every day she was ill.

#### Qiang Doran

Despite being married, Yusheng and Qiang had practically no relationship. Qiang's family had lots of political influence in the clan, so Yusheng married him in order to help ensure she remained on the throne. Their marriage was loveless, with Yusheng being with his sister, Daiyu, while Qiang had several concubines who he preferred to spend his time with. They had no children and he was not mentioned once in her diary.

#### Donghai Doran

By some accounts, Donghai acted as Yusheng's apprentice which was why he was selected to take the throne. This is somewhat disputed, as Yusheng may have just preferred someone young to take the throne, and Donghai likely would have been preparing to become the future Emperor when Yusheng made it clear that she would not have children.

#### Guozhi Doran

Yusheng supposedly frequently butt heads with her father, who she believed was irresponsible for choosing a woman over the throne. Guozhi was very upset when she challenged Mengyao, nearly disowning her. He believed that she wasn't womanly enough and said so openly.

#### Mengyao Doran

Growing up, Yusheng hated Mengyao and viewed him as incompetent. After taking the throne from him, she seemed to soften towards him, although she never apologized and said she never would. He was still alive when Yusheng died.