“Your Majesty, it is so late—why are you still awake?” Lin Anran looked calmly at Guo Yichen, her expression completely unreadable.
The bedding had already been arranged, and Chunhua, being perceptive, quickly led the attendants out of the room.
Soon, only Lin Anran and Guo Yichen remained inside.
Guo Yichen’s deep eyes fixed on her. His gaze was calm, like a still, ancient well, yet the faint crease between his brows showed his confusion toward the Empress’s behavior.
He raised an eyebrow. “On the fifteenth of last month, the Empress used ancestral rules to force me to come to Fengyi Palace. Why is it, on the first day of this month, that you are now trying to send me away?”
His tone was flat, without joy or anger—only curiosity.
Barely half a month had passed, yet the Empress had changed so drastically it was as if she were a different person. It was only natural that he would be suspicious.
Lin Anran also knew her personality was far too different from the original host’s. At first, she had considered whether she should imitate the original a little and gradually change over time to avoid suspicion.
But the original host suffered from depression, while Lin Anran herself was emotionally stable and full of hope for life—she simply could not imitate that sense of despair.
So in the end, she chose to be herself.
After all, this body originally belonged to the Empress. Even if the soul inside had changed, as long as she firmly denied it, no one could prove anything.
“Your Majesty misunderstands,” she said calmly. “I came on my monthly cycle today and am not suitable to attend you. However, I did not want to disappoint Your Majesty, so I arranged for Zhi Zi to serve you, hoping you would still stay in Fengyi Palace.”
In ancient times, men were rarely loyal to one woman—especially the Emperor, who had thousands of consorts in the harem.
Thus, many high-ranking consorts would send their personal maids to serve the Emperor. If they succeeded, the maid might be promoted to concubine; if not, she remained a servant.
If such a maid bore a child, the child would often be registered under the high consort’s name, forming alliances to strengthen their position.
So Lin Anran’s explanation was entirely reasonable.
But Guo Yichen was clearly not satisfied.
“I remember when you made Yue serve me, you were not this calm,” he said lightly.
His probing words made Lin Anran want to roll her eyes, but she still replied sincerely:
“Your Majesty, I was ignorant in the past and committed mistakes unbecoming of an Empress. I have deeply reflected on my errors and will correct them in the days to come. I will strive to become a competent Empress. I hope Your Majesty will grant me this chance to reform myself.”
Apology, self-reflection, and setting goals—the essential skills of a working adult.
Since Lin Anran already knew Guo Yichen was considering deposing her, she had to find a way to stop that idea.
And the best way to stop it was simple: admit defeat.
Clashing head-on with a stone as if it were an egg was nothing but exhausting and unrewarding.
A small verbal concession was nothing—if it could be solved by talking, it wasn’t a problem at all. Those who do great things know when to bend and when to stand.
Her sincere attitude left Guo Yichen unable to find any fault.
Could it be that the Empress had truly changed her mind?
After a moment of silence, he finally said, “Since the Empress has such awareness, I will naturally give you a chance to prove yourself. If you can do as you say and fulfill the duties of an Empress without again resorting to petty schemes for favor, I will grant you everything an Empress should have.”
Lin Anran bowed properly. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
After a while, seeing that he still showed no intention of leaving, she tentatively said, “Your Majesty, it is late. This concubine should rest.”
The implication was obvious: I want to sleep—why aren’t you leaving?
But Guo Yichen seemed not to understand the hint at all. He stood and walked toward her bed.
“It is indeed late.”
With that, he spread his arms slightly, as if waiting for her to help him undress.
Lin Anran: “……”
She was telling him to leave—why was he planning to sleep here instead?
Guo Yichen’s lips curved slightly. “According to ancestral rules, I must spend the first and fifteenth of each month with the Empress. Since I am giving you a chance, I should show proper respect.”
“But I am on my monthly cycle…”
“Do not be alarmed,” he said calmly. “I merely intend to share the bed. Nothing more.”
Lin Anran: “……”
This damn emperor was absolutely doing this on purpose.
Forget it. He was handsome—sleeping in the same bed was still a net gain.
Thinking this, Lin Anran stepped forward boldly and began undressing him, her fingers occasionally brushing against his firm muscles through the thin fabric, shamelessly taking advantage.
Free male eye candy delivered to her doorstep—why not enjoy it?
Guo Yichen watched as she climbed into bed and immediately fell asleep.
A faint, bitter smile appeared on his lips.
He had originally intended to tease her because she seemed eager to send him away—but instead, he ended up being the one provoked.
Most frustrating of all, after provoking him, she simply rolled over and slept?
Her carefree attitude left him with a strange, indescribable feeling, and yet it only deepened his curiosity about her.
…
The next day.
When Lin Anran woke up, the space beside her was already cold. Guo Yichen had clearly left some time ago.
While helping her wash, Chunhua hesitated several times, looking like she wanted to say something.
“Just say it,” Lin Anran said as she stood to get dressed.
After a moment’s hesitation, Chunhua finally spoke. “Your Majesty… you should be more careful when sleeping. It seems His Majesty was kicked out of bed last night.”
“……”
Lin Anran felt awkward.
She didn’t doubt Chunhua’s words at all.
In her past life, she had dated before—but every breakup ended the same way: the men all became afraid of how she kicked in her sleep.
She had thought that after transmigrating and getting a different body, this habit would disappear.
Turns out, it didn’t.
“…Did the Emperor get angry?” she asked worriedly.
After thinking for a moment, Chunhua replied uncertainly, “When he left, he was holding his waist and looked a little uncomfortable, but he told us not to wake you. He didn’t seem angry.”
“Hopefully not,” Lin Anran prayed.
After getting dressed, Zhi Zi walked in looking exhausted.
She kept her head down, trying to hide her resentment, but her eyes still betrayed her dissatisfaction.
The Empress herself had said she would send her to serve the Emperor—but last night the Emperor didn’t even touch her. Instead, he went to the Empress’s room and slept there. It was humiliating.
She felt the Empress had done this deliberately to disgrace her.
Lin Anran merely glanced at her and gave no explanation.
During morning court greetings, news that Zhi Zi had failed to gain favor the previous night had already spread. Consort De naturally used the opportunity to mock Consort Noble and Consort Jiang, almost openly pointing out that Zhi Zi belonged to Consort Jiang.