The next morning, the palace was lively — everyone wanted a peek at the newly crowned Empress.
Rumors had already started flying faster than messenger pigeons:"They said the new Empress slept until noon!""I heard His Majesty personally carried her in bridal style!""Carried her? Then why does she walk like she fought a tiger?"
Wan'er, meanwhile, was fighting for her life trying to look normal.Her back screamed with every step, but she forced her face into a calm "I-am-dignified-and-not-suffering" expression.
Ruan, her personal maid, whispered, "Your Majesty, please slow down. You look like you're marching into battle—"
"I am," Wan'er hissed. "A battle called walking without looking like I lost a fight with the Emperor."
Inside the Flower Hall, the other concubines were already waiting.
A woman in exquisite crimson silk stood at the center — graceful, composed, with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Hmph… Greetings to the Empress," said Imperial Consort Li Ruyi, the most favored woman in the inner palace.
The rest followed her lead, bowing neatly.
Wan'er raised her hand dismissively. "Haaa… if nothing else, you can go. I'm taking my leave."
She turned around, trying to make a graceful exit… and nearly tripped when her leg went numb.Her maid caught her at the last second, smiling awkwardly at the crowd of horrified concubines.
Wan'er thought miserably, Damnnnn that beast. Next time I'm inventing "Empress Defense Pills" or something.
But before she could limp away, someone's sharp voice echoed behind her.
"Hmph! I really don't understand His Majesty's reasoning for appointing such a lazy and plain woman as the Mother of the Nation."
Wan'er stopped mid-step.
The temperature dropped by two degrees.
Slowly, she turned her head, lips curving into a smile that was definitely not a smile.
"Ohoo? Then do you mean to say you're more suitable for my position?"
Li Ruyi froze. "W-what?"
Wan'er chuckled softly, like someone amused by a bug trying to pick a fight with a dragonfly."Mm. I thought so."Then she turned and walked away, her calm steps somehow louder than thunder.
Li Ruyi's face turned uglier than a spoiled durian.
How dare she talk back?! she thought furiously.Inwardly, she was already plotting her revenge — and an urgent complaint session to His Majesty.
"Who was that peacock in red?" Wan'er asked Ruan once they were outside.
"Answering Your Highness, that was Imperial Consort Li Ruyi. She's… the most favored."
Wan'er's eyes sparkled. "Perfect!"
"...Perfect?" Ruan repeated, terrified.
"Ruan, go tell Eunuch Xi to buy me the best hoe in the market. Also ten varieties of vegetable seeds."
Ruan blinked. "...Hoe?"
Wan'er grinned like a farmer goddess descending from heaven. "Yes! The sharpest, most majestic hoe! I'm going to start my imperial farm!"
Forgetting her back pain, she skipped— well, half-skipped, half-limped — back to her chamber, humming to herself.
"First… I'll pretend I'm in too much pain from his roughness and avoid the Emperor for a week. Second, I'll make some birth control pills— easy. Third, I need his schedule to know when I can sneak to the gardens."
She nodded to herself proudly, grabbed her brush, scribbled her plan on paper, then jumped on her bed.
Unfortunately, she forgot ancient beds were rock-solid.
THUD!
"R-Ruan… I-I think I just hurt my leg… again."
Ruan panicked and ran toward her— only to trip on the carpet and fall flat beside her.
"M-Master… I-I think I hurt my leg too…"
Wan'er stared at her maid in disbelief. "…Are you serious right now?"
"Very, Your Majesty."
"SHADOW GUARD!!! HELP ME!"
The guards outside the door looked at each other, faces red.One of them sighed deeply before entering to help.
When the "treatment session" was finally over, neither Wan'er nor Ruan dared to speak.
"Please," Wan'er said weakly, "don't tell anyone about this."
"Yes, Your Majesty," replied the guard solemnly, though his twitching lips betrayed him.
As soon as the door closed, Wan'er covered her face with a pillow and groaned.
"First week as Empress… and I've already become a crippled farmer."
Ruan nodded from the floor, leg still bandaged."At least we suffer together, Your Majesty."
Wan'er glared at her. "…You're fired."