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  “Your Majesty, you must seek justice for me! Hu Meiren has gone too far…”

  Lin Baolin spoke with a sob in her voice, recounting her grievances.

  Zhao Wumian propped up her head, absentmindedly responding with a couple of perfunctory hums, while her mind was occupied with a much more pressing matter—what to eat today.

  She wanted to have crucian carp, but then she recalled the old saying: ‘Do not eat crucian carp in March, for thousands of fish roe fill its belly.’ But… crucian carp in March was just so delicious… Ah, what a dilemma.

  Oh, whatever. I must eat!

  “Your Majesty? Your Majesty?”

  Zhao Wumian snapped back to reality. “Huh? Oh. I understand your concerns. You may return for now. I’ll find an opportunity to arrange for you to serve His Majesty. She dares to bully you because you rarely see the emperor. Once he summons you more often, she won’t dare anymore.”

  Lin Baolin’s face lit up with delight. “Truly? Many thanks, Your Majesty!”

  “Yes, yes, truly. Now, off you go.”

  Ugh, I’m really starving. Lin Baolin was good in every way—pretty, sweet, and adorably soft—but she talked way too much. Once she started, she could go on for an entire morning. Exhausting.

  Happily reassured, Lin Baolin left in high spirits.

  Zhao Wumian sighed in relief. Finally, some peace and quiet.

  “Your Majesty, if she truly enters His Majesty’s chambers, this servant will be sure to prepare the decoction in advance.”

  Zhang Momo, the empress’s trusted attendant, spoke calmly.

  Zhao Wumian: …

  If she wasn’t mistaken, that decoction was the kind that ensured no conception…

  Honestly, this was exhausting.

  Having inhabited this body for six months now, Zhao Wumian often felt mentally drained—not for any great reason, but simply because of the original host’s unwavering self-discipline.

  The former empress had held this position for three years but could count her nights with the emperor on one hand. Now, she finally had Lin Baolin, this naive little thing, willing to follow her, yet the original host still insisted on making her take contraceptive medicine.

  What was worse, Lin Baolin had even fewer opportunities than the empress herself. She could go half a year without seeing the emperor, yet still, she had to drink the decoction.

  And to think, the poor girl still trusted the empress wholeheartedly. What a tragedy.

  The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became. And now, she is Zhao Wumian. Ah, this is even more frustrating.

  “From now on, there’s no need to prepare any decoctions. His Majesty has few heirs. Whoever can bear children is a blessing.”

  “That is true. And if she does give birth, Your Majesty can raise the child yourself,” Zhang Momo commented matter-of-factly.

  Zhao Wumian fell silent. There was nothing to say—Zhang Momo’s thinking was rgely instilled by the original host.

  “Your Majesty.” Linshui entered and curtsied. “Will you be going to express your gratitude today?”

  Zhao Wumian raised an eyebrow. “Express gratitude? For what?”

  “Yesterday, His Majesty sent a reward. Shouldn’t you go and thank him?” Linshui was puzzled. Your Majesty never missed such things before.

  “Oh, no need for that. His Majesty and I are husband and wife—if a husband gives his wife some gifts, must she thank him? That would be far too distant. I won’t be going.” Zhao Wumian waved dismissively.

  She had been ill for half a year, and though the emperor hadn’t visited often, he still came occasionally to sit for a while. This wasn’t the first time he had sent rewards.

  Zhao Wumian didn’t believe the emperor was such a petty man. Going to express gratitude? How tiring.

  “Since your illness has passed and you’re well now, shouldn’t we restore things to how they were? Guifei has been managing the harem for over six months—shouldn’t you take back your authority? Perhaps you should visit the Empress Dowager tomorrow? And reinstate the morning greetings from the consorts?” Linshui suggested.

  Zhao Wumian frowned and thought for a moment. “Visiting the Empress Dowager is necessary, but as for the rest… I’ll see how things stand after meeting her. Has anything been cking in our pace’s provisions while Guifei has been in charge?”

  “Well… nothing in the standard allotments. But Your Majesty, you know, there are certain things that aren’t included in the standard provisions…” Linshui hesitated.

  Some rare and valuable items weren’t distributed as part of the usual pace supplies.

  They had to be granted by the emperor personally, and over the past six months, Fengyi Pace had received none.

  Zhao Wumian understood immediately. “Forget about those. As long as our standard supplies remain steady, that’s fine. Your wages haven’t been cut, have they?”

  “No, they haven’t. Guifei is very diplomatic—she wouldn’t make such an obvious mistake,” Linshui remarked with a hint of disdain.

  Zhao Wumian merely raised an eyebrow, indifferent.

  “Speaking of which, st night Li Fei attended to His Majesty. I wonder if Guifei will make trouble for her again,” Linshui mused.

  “That has nothing to do with us. Now, go tell the kitchens—I want crucian carp.”

  Linshui blinked in surprise before nodding.

  Sigh. Her Majesty has changed so much since her illness. She doesn’t care about serious matters at all anymore. She just thinks about food all day. What’s there to think about?

  If she doesn’t take back control of the harem soon, what will happen in the future?

  Zhao Wumian didn’t hear Linshui’s inner compints. The original host had succumbed to an illness, passing away from nothing more than a cold.

  She had been in this Dayin Dynasty for six months now.

  In this time, she had learned all she needed—both what she wished to know and what she didn’t.

  The original host had been a naive noblewoman from a prestigious family, one that held a noble title but no political power.

  It was all because the te Empress, Shen Shi, had passed away due to illness. Back then, the Shen family was too powerful, and they were implicated in a treason case. Empress Shen had risen from Crown Princess to Empress, but when her family was dragged into the scandal, she fell ill and never recovered. In the end, she passed away, and the prince she bore was sent to live in a detached pace, forbidden from seeing outsiders.

  That was why the Empress Dowager and the Emperor specifically chose someone from the Zhao family—a noble house that held only an empty title—to make Zhao Wumian, who originally had no qualifications, the new Empress.

  This way, the inner pace wouldn’t descend into complete chaos with all the concubines vying for power, and it also helped maintain bance within the harem. Simply put, she was nothing more than a living good-luck charm.

  As long as she was obedient and kept to herself, they would still protect her. After all, the Emperor wanted to be a wise ruler, and he had no reason to depose an Empress without cause. The te Empress had been an exception, her situation unavoidable. Over the past three years since Zhao Wumian entered the pace, her overall treatment had been fairly decent.

  But the problem was—she thought too much.

  Because she liked the Emperor, she desperately wished for him to belong to her alone. She insisted on putting on airs at every turn, yet she ended up making herself neither here nor there.

  She even managed to offend several high-ranking concubines in the harem, who saw her as someone occupying a position that should have been theirs.

  Unfortunately, the original host was far too naive. She believed that simply becoming Empress meant she was the supreme authority of the harem. Day after day, she tried to control this person, command that person, arrange this, dictate that…

  In the end, she accomplished nothing, failed to manage anyone properly, and instead worked herself into an early grave.

  Just look at Lin Baolin—the only equally naive person willing to follow her. The poor girl barely got to serve the Emperor even once in half a year, yet she was still made to drink contraceptive soup…

  That kind of thinking was truly heartbreaking.

  It was the type of logic that would make a zombie crack open her skull, shake its head in disappointment, and walk away—while a dung beetle passing by would brighten up at the sight.

  ____

  Author's note:

  This is a traditional harem drama, so don’t expect the male lead to dismiss the entire harem just for the female lead. Likewise, don’t expect him to suddenly become celibate after falling for the protagonist—he’s simply a man of his time.

  Just a heads-up. If you like it, keep reading. If not, feel free to skip it.

  The next chapter will include a ranking chart for the harem.

  And just a little reminder—this novel’s protagonist is already the Empress.

  So she’s not aiming for the top anymore. She just wants to live comfortably. She won’t be overly ambitious or proactive—her attitude is basically: screw it, I’ll just go with the flow.

  But then again, when has life ever gone according to pn?

  Even I’m not entirely sure where this will go. I don’t write outlines, so the plot might shift as I write.

  That’s just how it is.