But that was in the past. Zhao Wumian was no longer the Zhao Wumian of before—now, she was Zhao Wumian, the master of doing nothing and letting things rot.
As long as she kept the treatment befitting an empress, everything else was irrelevant. After all, an empress was an empress—no matter how much the concubines resented her, none of them could simply bring her poison and get rid of her.
She could comfortably exist as a mascot, a vase, a decorative wall painting—call it whatever you like.
If she were just a concubine, then yes, she would have to fight for favor. Without it, life in the pace would be unbearable. But she was the empress.
And that meant she was safe. She had no need to fight at all.
Having figured this out long ago, why would she still concern herself with pace affairs? There were benefits to doing nothing—why waste energy?
An unfavored empress who insisted on handling everything? That was nothing more than a glorified housekeeper. If she did well, it was merely her duty; if she made a mistake, people would ask: What kind of empress are you, anyway?
If Guifei wanted to manage the harem, then by all means, let her. What a blessing.
Thus, Zhao Wumian continued her days of blissful idleness. One day passed, then another. After another rexed day, she finally had to go and pay her respects to the Empress Dowager the next morning.
Fu Taifei was the Emperor’s birth mother and was elevated to Empress Dowager upon his ascension.
The te emperor had died in his prime, falling to a severe case of smallpox. At just nineteen years old, the crown prince had ascended the throne and changed the reign title to Xihe. It had now been eight years since.
Because of the emperor’s abrupt ascension, many matters were left unsettled, leading to a rebellion among the imperial princes.
The Shen family—maternal retives of the te Empress—had gotten entangled in the turmoil, ultimately leading to their complete eradication.
It was through this rebellion that the young emperor truly secured his throne.
A year after the rebellion was quelled, Empress Shen passed away due to illness. The eldest prince was sent away to a detached pace for “recuperation.”
Three years ago, one month before the imperial selection, Zhao Wumian had been directly chosen as the successor empress and was married into Fengyi Pace a few months ter.
Sitting inside her panquin, Zhao Wumian closed her eyes, her mind wandering idly.
Before she knew it, they had arrived at Yi’an Pace.
As the Empress, no one would dare make things difficult for her—unless the Empress Dowager intentionally did so.
Thus, she entered the pace smoothly.
Inside the main hall, the Empress Dowager was seated. Fu Meiren, her niece and now one of the Emperor’s concubines, was also present. Upon seeing Zhao Wumian enter, she immediately rose and curtsied.
Fu Meiren had entered the pace in the same year as Zhao Wumian.
However, Zhao Wumian had not needed to participate in the selection process. She had been chosen as empress in February and entered the pace in August.
Meanwhile, Fu Meiren had been selected in March and entered the pace by April—meaning she had actually arrived a few months earlier.
“Fu Meiren, you may leave first. I wish to speak with the Empress,” said the Empress Dowager with a wave of her hand.
Fu Meiren complied and quietly withdrew.
“Empress, take a seat,” the Empress Dowager gestured to a seat beside her.
Zhao Wumian politely expressed her thanks before sitting down.
“These past months, I have been unwell and unable to visit often. I hope Mother does not take offense,” she said.
“No matter. What matters is that you have recovered.”
The Empress Dowager’s feelings about this daughter-in-w were… complicated.
“Yes, many thanks, Mother,” Zhao Wumian responded, sitting primly and properly.
But to the Empress Dowager, this looked like an act. After all, who knew when she might start causing trouble again?
The past three years had been exhausting for the Empress Dowager. She had chosen Zhao Wumian herself—and she regretted it immensely.
It wasn’t that an empress shouldn’t fight. The problem was that Zhao Wumian always fought the wrong way.
Whatever she did, she always managed to do it wrong—to the point where the Empress Dowager found it utterly baffling.
While the Empress Dowager remained silent, Zhao Wumian also said nothing.
Thus, the mother-in-w and daughter-in-w sat in awkward silence for a while before the Empress Dowager finally spoke.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“No,” Zhao Wumian said honestly. “It’s just that I find the incense here rather pleasant. I was trying to distinguish its ingredients.”
She genuinely didn’t care for most of the incense used in the pace—the smoky scent was often too overpowering.
But the fragrance here was quite nice, so she had instinctively tried to analyze what was in it.
However, in the Empress Dowager’s mind, this simple remark immediately took on a deeper meaning.
What does she mean by that?
“If you like it, I’ll have some sent to you. It’s nothing rare—just a common blend used in the pace,” the Empress Dowager said.
"Then I must thank Mother," Zhao Wumian accepted the offer readily.
The Empress Dowager: …
"Alright, I'll have someone send it to you ter," the Empress Dowager said after observing her for a moment. "Now that you've recovered, it's time to resume morning greetings from the consorts. As the Empress, it would not be proper to keep avoiding them."
She was trying to pcate Zhao Wumian with a small favor first, lest she start demanding control over the harem.
"There's no rush, Mother. Things are fine as they are," Zhao Wumian replied quickly.
"That won’t do. You are the Empress—how can you avoid seeing them for so long? It’s settled, then. In a few days, the initial selection for new concubines will be over. The final selection will take pce on the tenth. His Majesty’s heirs are still few, so the harem must welcome new members. When the time comes, you must conduct yourself properly and take this matter seriously. Do not act petuntly—you are the Empress, and you must show dignity."
"Of course, Mother is right. It’s already the sixth today, so there are only a few days left. Rest assured, I will do my duty," Zhao Wumian nodded with a smile.
The Empress Dowager found herself at a loss for words. She could only return a vague smile, exchange a few pleasantries, and send Zhao Wumian on her way.
As soon as Zhao Wumian left, the Empress Dowager turned to her attendant and muttered, "What’s wrong with her? Has she changed personalities?"
"Her Majesty being reasonable is a good thing, is it not?" Lingzhi, the pace maid, was also puzzled.
"Reasonable? I just don’t want her making a scene during the selection," the Empress Dowager frowned.
"With Your Majesty and His Majesty presiding over it, that won’t happen," Lingzhi replied with a fttering smile.
The Empress Dowager sighed. I hope so.
Thus, when the Emperor came to dine at her pace that noon, the Empress Dowager made sure to remind him to visit the Empress.
She knew her son had no affection for Zhao Wumian, but at the very least, he needed to keep her stable until the selection was complete.
The Emperor agreed—but he did not go that day.
It was often said that the Emperor had few heirs, but he already had five children. However, as an Emperor, that was considered far too few.
The imperial family valued numbers—an emperor's strength was reflected in his many sons.
If one excluded the eldest prince—born of the te Empress Shen, and now kept in isotion—then the Emperor’s second son, born to Xian Fei, was only five years old and sickly. His health was so frail that no one was certain he would survive to adulthood.
The third prince, born to Li Zhaoyi, was only two years old—far too young to be considered an heir.
There were also two princesses:
The eldest, ten years old, born to Guifei.The youngest, five years old, born to Rong Fei.Thus, the Emperor was indeed in need of more sons.
The Emperor finally arrived at Fengyi Pace the next day at noon. It was obvious what that meant—he had no intention of staying the night.
At that moment, Zhao Wumian was giving instructions for her meal when a pace maid ran in excitedly, exciming that His Majesty had arrived.
Zhao Wumian stood up. "Got it."
She briefly adjusted her attire before stepping out to receive him.
By then, the Emperor had already entered.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
Ying Qionglou waved his hand dismissively. "No need for formalities. The Empress is recovering—there’s no need for excessive courtesy."
____
The Empress is above all ranks and not included in the system.
First Rank:Guifei (贵妃)Xian Fei (贤妃)Shu Fei (淑妃)De Fei (德妃)
Second Rank:Fei (妃)
Third Rank:Zhaoyi (昭仪)Zhaorong (昭容)Zhaoyuan (昭媛)Xiuyi (修仪)Xiurong (修容)Xiuyuan (修媛)Chongyi (充仪)Chongrong (充容)Chongyuan (充媛)
Fourth Rank:Jieyu (婕妤)
Fifth Rank:Meiren (美人)
Sixth Rank:Cairen (才人)
Seventh Rank:Liangyi (良仪)
Eighth Rank:Baolin (宝林)
Ninth Rank:Yunu (御女)
Last Rank:Shiyu (侍御)
Note: This is a fictional setting. These ranks are rgely based on historical pace ranks, such as the Four Consorts, Nine Pin, Twenty-Seven Royal Women, and Eighty-One Pace Wives. However, I have added a second-rank consort position.
In some historical setups, Shu Fei ranks above Xian Fei, but in this story, all three (Shu Fei, Xian Fei, De Fei) are equal in rank—Guifei remains the highest.
Thus, no need to argue about whether one should be above the other. This is how this novel is structured.
Current Named Consorts in the Harem:Guifei, Qi Yuhuan – From the Eastern Pace.Xian Fei, Xu Qingxue – From the Eastern Pace.Li Fei, Zhou Yutong – Selected in Year 4 of Xihe.Rong Fei, Xie Mei – From the Eastern Pace.Li Zhaoyi – From the Eastern Pace.Jiang Zhaorong – Selected in Year 4 of Xihe.Hu Meiren – Selected in Year 4 of Xihe.Fu Meiren – Selected in Year 4 of Xihe, the Empress Dowager’s niece.Li Zhaoyi – From the Eastern Pace.Yang Jieyu – From the Eastern Pace.Zhang Meiren – From the Eastern Pace.Lin Baolin – Selected in Year 4 of Xihe.
Thank you for your patience! Now, back to the story.
