Personally, I won't want to have my character's life. Sure, she's the Empress Dowager and holds the most power. But she gambled with more than her life to achieve that status. And with no one she can trust, she always has to look behind her back. That's a very lonely, stressful, and dangerous life!
I would rather be a lowly peasant girl (and perhaps later on in the series, so will the Empress!)