Lü Zhi 呂雉

Lü Zhi married a village patrol officer with a drinking habit and no prospects. She farmed, spent about two years as a hostage in an enemy camp, and came home to a husband about to become the founding emperor of the Han. After his death she held the young dynasty together for fifteen years — the first woman to rule a unified China.

You are the one who does the hard, unglamorous work of keeping something alive. Her government kept taxes low, unwound the harsh Qin laws and repealed the ban on owning books. When the Xiongnu ruler sent her an insulting proposal, she replied that she was old and losing her teeth, sent him horses, and kept the border quiet. She was also merciless to anyone who threatened her son — and her story was written by the men who destroyed her family.