Chapter 92

…

Li Lin was a typical straight woman, never dragging her feet or overthinking; once she decided to do something, she immediately rolled up her sleeves and acted, her mind operating like a high-speed machine—fast, precise, wasting no time on meaningless hesitation.

Moreover, Li Lin differed from ordinary women; she paid little attention to trivial details and rigid rules, focusing instead on the overall outcome.

This meant that once Li Lin decided to bear Zhao Yu a son, she launched a direct assault.

In truth, according to Li Lin's original plan, after meeting Zhao Yu, she would have simply asked him outright—during a suitable moment—whether she could serve him in bed, without needing to change into a qipao or deliberately adorn herself; if he said yes, she'd stay; if no, she'd leave—just give her a straight answer.

In fact, the qipao Li Lin wore was not her own preparation, but secretly arranged by her maid Cui Nianyue, who, having heard from her friend Zhao Yuannu that they had once sewn a stunning qipao for Ye Shi Yun—so beautiful it nearly stole Zhao Yu's soul—had personally begged Zhao Yuannu for guidance and led Li Lin's other maids to secretly prepare one for Li Lin.

Before Li Lin stepped out, Cui Nianyue assumed Zhao Yu had summoned her precisely because he intended to keep her for the night, so she proactively brought out the qipao she had long prepared and urged Li Lin to wear it, to seize this rare opportunity.

Only then did Li Lin realize that whether she served Zhao Yu in bed was not merely her own affair, but a matter of great importance to every woman in her courtyard.

For the women in her courtyard, her serving Zhao Yu in bed wasn't just about "promotion, raise, better treatment"; if she won Zhao Yu's favor and he frequently visited them, some lucky ones among them might also be chosen to serve him, completing their transformation from palace maids to concubines—and from servants to masters.

Li Lin finally understood: in this male-dominated world, especially within the harem centered on Emperor Zhao Yu, a woman's fate was tightly bound to whether she won Zhao Yu's favor; her once-proud military talent seemed far less important here than pleasing Zhao Yu—at least, that's how the women in her courtyard saw it.

This coincided perfectly with Li Lin's desire to bear Zhao Yu a son, so she changed into the qipao and had her maids apply a light makeup.

The effect was immediate: Zhao Yu's eyes locked onto her the moment he saw her, and when she said she wanted to serve him, he immediately agreed—he had long wanted to settle the score for that collision.

Before Zhao Yu could say, "You'll come back with me to Funing Palace tonight; I'll pamper you properly," Li Lin flipped over and pinned him beneath her, intending to take him right there.

Li Lin's impulsive move startled Zhao Yu.

Had Li Lin not leaned in to kiss him, Zhao Yu would have thought she was attempting to assassinate him.

Zhao Yu was truly defeated by Li Lin's boldness.

Didn't she even consider who she was?

He was the Emperor—always the one who played others, never the one others played.

And didn't she look around? Where was this?

Yes.

The training ground had no third person.

But outside the training ground stood hundreds of Ban Zhi guards, Imperial City Corps attendants, eunuchs from the Inner Service Bureau, Nei Pin, and others—hundreds in total—and further out, another thousand guards.

Among them, many were surely listening to the sounds inside the training ground.

If Li Lin's actions caused even a hint of misunderstanding, she might be shot on the spot.

Fortunately, Zhao Yu reacted quickly, whispering low beside her ear: "You're trying to assassinate me?"

Only then did this fierce woman realize who lay beneath her—the Emperor.

Li Lin immediately released him.

In the next instant, Zhao Yu—who had seized the initiative—lifted her into his arms.

To be honest, Li Lin was deeply uncomfortable being held.

But she knew this wasn't her past life; the man holding her wasn't the timid men from her former world who dared not approach her—he was Emperor Zhao Yu, who held dominion over her entire existence; only by pleasing him and making him fall for her could she realize her value, her dream.

So she suppressed all discomfort and let Zhao Yu carry her into the pavilion, transforming her from a girl into a true woman…

…

'Finally, they're all gone—I can go collect the promise Zhao Yu owes me!'

Zhang Chun put on a moon-white qipao she had long prepared as an undergarment, over it dressed in normal attire, then directed Li Shishi and other maids to style her hair more exquisite and modern than Ye Shi Yun's had been, applied a stunning makeup, draped on a cloak, and set off for Funing Palace with Li Shishi.

To outsiders, Zhang Chun had clearly succeeded in serving Zhao Yu in bed; only Ye Shi Yun and a handful of others knew that last time, though Zhang Chun had made enormous sacrifices, they were utterly useless—meaningless in every way.

Fortunately, Zhao Yu, who had been thoroughly satisfied both physically and emotionally at the time, had already made a promise: once Zhang Chun was ready, he would grant her true service in bed.

Now, Zhang Chun was fully prepared.

Moreover, her longtime rival Ye Shi Yun still needed another day or two to recover.

Looking at it any way, Zhang Chun had no chance of failing this time.

Zhang Chun walked briskly through the winding corridors, clutching the cloak's tie tightly, her heart pounding like a drum; every step closer to Funing Palace added another layer of anticipation.

Far ahead, she saw the familiar palace, its eaves glowing with warm golden lantern light; Zhang Chun took a deep breath, steadied her nerves, raised her hand to adjust her hairpin, ensuring absolute perfection.

At the palace gate, Zhang Chun asked the eunuch guarding it in a gentle but unmistakably urgent tone: "Is His Majesty in?"

To Zhang Chun's surprise, the eunuch replied: "His Majesty has not returned; he likely won't be resting here tonight."

Zhang Chun, who had heard Zhao Yu had already returned, was stunned: 'How could Zhao Yu not be in his own palace?'

According to the Records of the Grand Historian: "(Qin Shi Huang) did not allow anyone to know where he resided… Whoever revealed his whereabouts was sentenced to death… From then on, no one knew his location."

In the Han dynasty, the monarch's movements were also kept secret; for instance, Emperor Zhang of Eastern Han issued an edict before his southern tour forbidding local officials from inquiring into his itinerary or daily routines.

Subsequent dynasties largely upheld this tradition of secrecy; for example, after the Renyin Palace Incident, the Ming dynasty's Jiajing Emperor set up twenty-seven beds so no one could know which one he slept in.

But Song dynasty emperors, compared to those of other dynasties, generally did not strictly conceal their sleeping places.

This was mainly due to their relatively fixed palace layout.

As a result, Song emperors—including Zhao Yu—typically resided and rested in specific palace zones within the imperial compound.

Zhao Yu, for instance, usually rested in one or two locations within Funing Palace.

The eunuchs and maids responsible for his daily life naturally knew where he slept, so they could promptly provide service and care, ensuring his needs were met.

Thus, Zhao Yu's resting place could be inquired about.

In fact, you didn't even need to ask deliberately; by dawn the next day, everyone would know where he slept and with whom.

But then again, although this era had no strict rules on the matter, the palace still enforced strict management and confidentiality regarding Zhao Yu's daily routines; attendants were forbidden from leaking any details of his private activities or sleep patterns, to protect his privacy, dignity, and safety.

Therefore, though Zhang Chun was deeply curious about where Zhao Yu slept and with whom that night, she restrained her curiosity, knowing the rules, and dared not risk asking.

Early the next morning, Zhang Chun heard that Zhao Yu had rested in the pavilion of the training ground the previous night—with Li Lin serving him.

Learning that Li Lin had beaten her to it, Zhang Chun was annoyed—but not much.

What she felt more than anything was a sense of revenge.

Zhang Chun even fantasized about swapping places with Zhao Yu; if that dream came true, she would grab Li Lin's hair, whip her, and demand: "Aren't you supposed to be noble? Aren't you a feminist? Don't you claim to rely on no man but yourself? Didn't you look down on me for fawning over Zhao Yu? Didn't you break ties with Yuan Qing Cheng because I wanted you to serve him? So how is it, in the end, you still ended up walking the very path I showed you?!"

Thinking of that scene, Zhang Chun was overjoyed.

But soon, Zhang Chun could no longer be happy.

Because for three days straight, Zhao Yu had let Li Lin spend the night with him, as if he had forgotten his promises and sweet words to Zhang Chun.

What worried Zhang Chun even more was that Li Lin seemed to be on the path to becoming Zhao Yu's favorite concubine.

Zhang Chun hurried over to Li Lin's quarters to gather information.

Li Lin enthusiastically told Zhang Chun and the others: "The Emperor has given me another chance to teach Accompanying Tong Guan the tactics of the Tiger Squat Cannon and the Thunder Bomb. Taking this opportunity, I explained my vision for the Divine Mechanism Left Army and Divine Mechanism Right Army to Accompanying Tong Guan. He's actually quite capable—he optimized my proposed military restructuring based on current battlefield realities. For instance, he suggested each army must establish a dedicated light cavalry unit to enhance mobility and pursuit capability; he also proposed each army form a support corps, stocking more mules, camels, and large carts…"

It was clear that Li Lin was no longer as depressed as before—she had begun her own struggle.

"Indeed, sleeping with Zhao Yu is like stepping onto the fast track of career advancement."

"It's understandable that Li Lin chose this path to achieve something for herself and realize her dreams."

"But the problem is, you can't repay kindness with betrayal and block my way!"

Zhang Chun was truly desperate.

It wasn't that Zhang Chun was angry with Li Lin—it was that the time had come for Zhao Yu to marry Zheng Xiansu, Wang Yisu, and Guo Ting.

After repeated petitions from ministers like Han Zhongyan, Zhao Yu had reluctantly agreed half a month ago to observe mourning for Zhao Xu with one day replacing one month.

Now the mourning period had ended.

Yesterday, Han Zhongyan submitted another memorial to Zhao Yu titled "Petition for the Establishment of an Empress":

"Your servant has heard that the great foundation of the state lies in the ancestral temples and the altars of earth and grain; the stability of these temples and altars depends on the proper ordering of the inner palace. Your Majesty has reigned for some time, and the four seas have just begun to settle, yet the position of the Empress remains vacant, the six palaces without a mistress, rites uncompleted—this is truly a matter of state.

As the ancients said: 'When the family is properly ordered, the world is settled.' The Empress is the motherly model for all under heaven, assisting Your Majesty, coordinating the six palaces, maintaining order within the palace and setting a moral example for the people.

I believe the most urgent task now is Your Majesty's wedding. Establishing an Empress aligns with heavenly principle and human sentiment—it is the fortune of the state and the blessing of the people. I humbly beg Your Majesty to carefully consider and soon hold the Empress-establishment ceremony, to calm the hearts of the people and secure the foundation of the state, so that all under heaven may revere Your Majesty's holy virtue and celebrate together the age of peace."

"Your servant Zhongyan, overwhelmed with fear and reverence, respectfully submits this memorial."

Although Zhao Yu had rejected Han Zhongyan's request yesterday.

But everyone knew it was merely a formality.

Without needing to say more, today other ministers would surely petition Zhao Yu again to establish an Empress.

Then Zhao Yu would reject it again.

Tomorrow, the Empress Dowager would issue an imperial decree saying, "If you do not marry, you are unfilial"—and the matter would be settled.

"If I don't sleep with Zhao Yu again, after his wedding, he'll surely focus first on making Empress Xiansu pregnant. Even if he still has energy left, he'll give it to Consort Yisu and Guo Ting—I won't know how long I'll have to wait then."

"No, I must sleep with Zhao Yu before his wedding. I must catch this last train."

Thinking this, Zhang Chun went to Li Lin and spoke bluntly: "Sister Lin, you've spent three nights with Zhao Yu already—you've had your share. Can you let me have the remaining nights?"

…

(End of Chapter)