"What's happening to His Majesty?"
This question not only lingers in the minds of the concubines in the harem but also troubles the Emperor himself.
Xie Zhixing is not a man lost in indulgence. Extending the royal lineage is his duty as an Emperor, and his interactions with the harem are merely for appropriate leisure and relaxation. While he appreciates beauty, he is not obsessed with it. If the heavens demanded celibacy for the sake of the nation, he could comply, but the problem is, he cannot withstand the continual shock each day brings.
Just like one night seven days ago, when Eunuch Fu entered bowing with the jade token in hand, knelt to pay respects, and offered the token for the Emperor to flip.
Xie Zhixing picked one at random, and it turned out to be Concubine Jiang's token.
Not long after, Xie Zhixing finished practicing his calligraphy and went to the corridor for some fresh air. There he saw Concubine Jiang, dressed and groomed, being carried into Weiyang Palace. She lifted her head to see the Emperor's visage and batted her eyelashes coquettishly at him.
A second later, Concubine Jiang passed by again, and she batted her eyelashes coquettishly once more.
Xie Zhixing stood there expressionless, waiting for a while, and indeed, he saw Concubine Jiang pass by, wrapped up like a burrito, as if she had become part of the orderly procession of those summoned for bedchamber duties, inevitably batting her eyelashes at him along the way.
He stood beneath a tree, watching Concubine Jiang pass by seven times.
Concubine Jiang did not just come again; she came once more, and again, and again.
Faced with the subtle glances of the beautiful maiden, Xie Zhixing felt no romance, only speechlessness.
After the seventh pass, Ying Lu approached with his head lowered to inform the Emperor, "Concubine Jiang is waiting for Your Majesty on the couch."
But he heard the Emperor say, "Send Concubine Jiang back."
Ying Lu: ...
No, Your Majesty, are you playing around?
The Emperor, of course, can summon or dismiss concubines at will, but Concubine Jiang is the niece of the Empress Dowager. While Concubine Jiang is easily dealt with, he would have to provide an explanation to the Empress Dowager, which plunged Ying Lu into profound agony internally while keeping a calm exterior. If he had the means, Ying Lu would personally settle the matter for the Emperor, not for the sake of beauty, but for a night of collective peace and rest.
He could not understand why the Emperor could easily ignore such beauty.
The Emperor also felt no one would understand his experience of seeing a beauty pass by seven times, each time with flirtatious glances—
Once or twice is fine, but more is annoying.
...
Due to this peculiar encounter, the Emperor's life underwent a tremendous change.
He pretended nothing happened but conducted many experiments in secret.
Firstly, the Emperor termed this time-reversal phenomenon as "regression." He observed that the chances of regression were highest when he was flipping the tokens, perhaps indicating that the heavens did not wish him to favor the concubines.
The Emperor ordered an early execution of a death row prisoner, then deliberately picked Lady's token to see if regression could reverse life and death, while also seeking to understand the pattern of "regression."
However, this time there was no regression.
No worries, there were plenty of death row inmates.
The second time, he picked Concubine Jiang's token, and this time regression occurred twice. The prisoner, previously beheaded during the prior regression, not only appeared alive and well during the second regression, but his neck showed no signs of execution.
Reversing the universe, bringing the dead back to life!
If he could possess this power, wouldn't he be able to use his limited time doubly?
The Emperor's heart raced wildly.
His first thought was how to utilize this to fulfill the imperial ambitions of the Xie Family.
Unfortunately, imagination was rich, but reality was harsh.
After all, mysterious powers and eerie occurrences could not be shared with others, plus, the Emperor was exceptionally adept at keeping secrets. His primary responsibility was still managing state affairs, squeezing out time for this matter meant limited efficiency.
Unable to discern the rules of regression, the Emperor was almost at his wit's end.
Because he refrained from visiting the harem and often summoned the concubines to Weiyang Palace only to have them returned untouched, the Empress Dowager, with a stern face, summoned the Emperor to Changle Palace: "I was beginning to think the Emperor was reluctant even to come to Changle Palace."
The Emperor exhausted his efforts in persuading her, just as the Empress Dowager began to soften her expression, and it seemed she was about to be appeased...
In a blink, he found himself once again standing outside the main hall of Changle Palace.
He looked up, only to see, in despair, the Empress Dowager repeating in her gruff voice, "I was beginning to think the Emperor was reluctant even to come to Changle Palace."
...
At the same time, Yun Jiao was joyfully munching on a pumpkin pastry.
Attendant Lady He, resting her chin in her hand, observed her carefree demeanor: "Tomorrow is the assessment, aren't you worried that if you fail, you'll have to stay in Chuxiu Palace for another seven days?"
"I find staying at Chuxiu Palace quite agreeable."
Yun Jiao swallowed the pumpkin pastry.
"Every palace is like a carrot in a pit—if your turn comes late, you'll be assigned far away, possibly without even a suitable residence."
The harem has an abundance of various pavilions and buildings.
Concubines of low rank, left in such places, often spend their entire lives there.
"If you live far away, it'll take an hour to walk to Jianzhang Palace for morning greetings."
Seeing Yun Jiao still unmoved, Attendant Lady He dropped a bombshell: "Moreover, Nanny Ye mentioned that those with good exam scores will receive preferential treatment from the Lady in room assignments. You've always performed well in every aspect; there's no reason to falter in the written test."
It was a wake-up call for the complacent.
Yun Jiao was so startled that she almost dropped the pumpkin pastry. She hadn't considered this aspect, and according to Yan Chi's rules, even if she hadn't served in the bedchamber, she still had to daily greet the Empress. Those below the concubine rank did not have sedan chairs, requiring them to walk through all weather, making the housing assignment crucial. She didn't want to wake up an hour earlier than others in the winter.
"Thank you, Sister He, for the reminder. I will work hard."
In order to sleep a little longer, even a lazy fish needs to be proactive!
The assessment period arrived in the blink of an eye.
It happened to be the day the Emperor had set aside for martial training.
Strong physical health lays a solid foundation for managing state affairs day in and day out. Despite being busy, the Emperor always squeezed out time for riding and archery lessons. For ten years, he had maintained an exercise regimen rivaling that of military generals.
However, no exercise is without hardship.
The Emperor couldn't enjoy it, but he endured, completing the necessary exercises.
Today, he drew the bow a hundred times, leaving his arms so fatigued they couldn't be lifted, but he considered it done.
At that moment, the Emperor felt a sudden lightness!
He discovered that the martial arts instructor returned after leaving, kneeling with respect: "Paying respects to Your Majesty."
The instructor, who had yet to be called to rise, wondered why.
Could the Emperor be in a bad mood today?
The Emperor, standing before him, seemed immovable as a mountain, though his spirit had already wandered off a bit.
He most despised drawing the bow, and having completed his arduous exercise only for it to be reversed was exasperating!
The painstakingly trained muscles, all in vain!
"Rise and come spar with me."
The martial arts instructor, trembling with fear, stood up. In front of him, the Emperor was looking down at him, those thousand-layered eyes now exuding a slight chill: "I obey."
After two hours, time reversed once more.
The Emperor's hand beneath his dragon robe trembled slightly—what did the heavens want from him!?
...
"Alright, finally memorized all the topics."
With all the exam topics thoroughly memorized, Yun Jiao confidently began her third written test assessment.