Zhenmu Emperor

Zhenmu Emperor
Empress of Hani
Reign	1714 to 1768
Predecessor	Diyi Emperor (Li Yang)
Born	April 25, 1700 Li Han, Hani
Died	December 31, 1798 (98 years) Hanyang, Hani
None
Issue	Li Chang (adoptive)
Royal house	House of Li
Father	Diyi Emperor
Mother	Empress Consort Kamalan
Religion	Chinese folk religion, Confucianism

The Zhenmu Emperor (真木蒂王) (April 25, 1700 - December 31, 1798; r. April 25, 1714 - June 5, 1796) was the second monarch of the Southern Han dynasty. She was the child of the Diyi Emperor and Empress Consort Kamahalan. She was succeeded by her adoptive son, the Yanti Emperor, refusing to marry and remaining childless for all of her life.

She was able to ascend to the throne after her father changed laws pertaining to primogeniture from male-preference cognatic to absolute, as she was the only legitimate child. This decision garnered opposition from both within the imperial court and the royal family, and during the first four years of her reign, power was jointly-held between three regents as a compromise, all of whom were close colleagues with and were appointed by her father. Her early de facto reign was marked with extreme violence and ruthless suppression of political dissidents through systematic persecution. She also instated a tagging system and a household registration system, in order to conduct more effective censuses as well as monitor the movement of her subjects.

However, despite these, her reign of over eight decades oversaw rapid socio-economic development and reforms, established by various government-led initiatives; leading to a period known as the "Han Renaissance". During one of her speeches, she famously symbolically declared, in-response to demands for her to marry, that "I am not married to merely a single individual, I am married to the Han people". Despite pioneering a pro-Qing approach in foreign diplomacy, she promoted a potent naval force which she utilized not only to monopolize on regional trading routes, but also to reinforce territorial legitimacy and integrity. The end of her reign oversaw Hani's emergence as one of the most powerful and prosperous states in East Asia; boasting a huge population and an advanced commercialized economy.