Bao Ji (Lia)
"His Majesty is agitated again," one of the servants whispered.
"I heard he was impatient in court too," another whispered back. "They were afraid to report anything to him."
I overheard them as I passed by.
Agitated… again?
I thought I had calmed him down yesterday. I was sure of it. I had seen it with my own eyes. So why was he restless today?
Yesterday I calmed him down—so what happened today?
I need to check.
Maybe seeing me will put him in a better mood.
When I arrived in front of the Grand Audience Hall, two servants stepped in front of me.
"I'm sorry, Lady Ji," one of them said, taking a step forward. "Without a summons, you cannot enter."
"It will only take one minute," I said calmly.
"We cannot let you inside," the other servant said.
"Then at least inform His Majesty that I seek to see him," I said again.
Before they could reply, a voice came from inside.
"What is going on out there?"
The eunuch.
Finally.
One of the servants hurried inside. Not even two seconds passed before I heard the sound of a cup smashing, followed by shouting.
"How dare you?!"
The Emperor.
He was furious.
Why? Because they wouldn't let me in?
Without thinking, I pushed the other servant aside and ran inside. He chased after me, trying to stop me, but I was already there—standing next to the Emperor.
He wasn't sitting on the throne. He stood several steps away from a man kneeling on the floor. The servant who ran after me dropped to his knees as well.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," he said quickly. "We couldn't stop her—"
I looked at the Emperor.
His face turned red.
God. They should just shut up.
But no. They kept talking.
"Next time we'll make sure to do our job properly," the servant who chased me added.
The other servant whispered urgently for him to stop, but he wouldn't listen.
"Who told you to stop her?!" the Emperor shouted.
"Y–Your Majesty told us not to let anyone enter," the servant replied, trembling.
"Then you should have reported who wanted to come in!" the Emperor snapped. "And never—never—stop her again."
I stared at him, speechless.
Is he serious?
He just gave me permission to come and go whenever I want?
Seeing how angry he was, I didn't have time to spiral into my thoughts.
"Calm down," I said gently.
He finally looked at me.
"They were just doing their jobs," I continued.
I saw it clearly—the way his face softened, the way his shoulders relaxed. He calmed down instantly just by seeing me.
And honestly?
It terrified me.
In novels, women like having power over men. But this wasn't a husband. Or a boyfriend. Or a friend.
This was the Emperor.
I wish I could lie to myself and say this wasn't real—but I couldn't.
Having the power to calm him, to ground him, terrified me.
"Now that you've told them, they won't repeat the mistake," I said softly.
"Let them return to their posts."
"Without punishment?" he asked, confused.
"Yes. They didn't know you would allow me to enter. Now they do."
He said nothing.
He turned to the servants and nodded.
They immediately understood. They bowed repeatedly, thanked His Majesty, and ran out faster than lightning.
He turned back to me.
"How come you came here?"
"I was passing by," I said. "So I thought I'd visit."
Did he believe me?
I hope so.
Because me coming here like this? That was a first.
But the way he looked at me—I swear I saw happiness on his face. For a brief second, I even saw a smile.
He's kind of cute when he smiles.
What the hell am I thinking?
I need to leave.
"I should go now," I added quickly. "The Queen is waiting. And you must be busy."
"Then go," he said gently. "Don't keep Her Highness waiting."
I smiled, bowed, and left.
I shouldn't feel relieved after seeing him.
But I did.
Maybe because it worked.
I calmed him down.
Yes… that must be it.
Later, the Queen, the concubines, and I were sitting outside drinking tea.
God, I hated being around these women.
All they talked about was who was more beautiful, who missed the emperor more, and who had better jewellery.
"I heard His Majesty was agitated in court today," Concubine Yan said.
I choked on my tea.
I looked up. All of them were staring at me like I was some kind of spectacle.
Wonderful.
"I also heard two servants were punished today," another concubine added.
Punished?
Don't tell me he—
I looked at the Queen, defeated.
He played me.
He made me believe I could stop him from punishing them.
"Well done," I thought bitterly.
"I wonder why they were punished," Yan said, still staring at me.
When will they stop looking?
The pressure made my chest tighten.
Then I looked at Bao Si.
God help me.
She was slicing me apart with her eyes.
So this is it.
She's finally showing her true colors.
"We all know how His Majesty is," the Queen said calmly, giving me a subtle look. "His moods change quickly. This is nothing new."
"True," another concubine agreed.
"I'm tired," the Queen said. "You may all leave."
Finally.
After everyone left, I sat closer to her, silent like a child.
"You know why he calmed down yesterday," she said.
"Yes."
"What happened today?"
"The servants stopped me at the Audience Hall. He overheard and got angry."
"And they were punished because of that?"
"I swear I didn't know he would punish them. I told him not to. He let them go, so I assumed—"
The Queen listened quietly.
I felt guilty.
Guilty because they were punished because of me.
"You realize you have power over him," she said seriously.
"Yes."
"Be careful. One wrong move, and everything could go wrong."
"I know."
Then I looked up at her.
"But… it terrifies me," I admitted. "I still find it hard to believe I can ground him. I'm afraid."
My emotions spiked.
No. Not now.
I can't have a panic attack.
Since entering Bao Ji's body, I've barely had any. And I don't want one now.
It took every fibre of my being to calm myself.
"I'm here," the Queen said gently. "I'll help however I can."
"Thank you."
On my way back to my chamber, my maid whispered, "My lady—that's His Majesty."
He was walking toward me.
I stopped and waited.
By the time he reached me, the angry Emperor was gone. He looked calm. Relaxed.
"Going back to rest?" he asked.
"Yes."
I was exhausted. But I still asked:
"Why did you punish those servants?"
"Because they stopped you," he replied calmly.
"But they were doing their jobs."
"They didn't do them properly."
He looked proud.
So this is why he's relaxed.
This feels like a drama—where the male lead punishes everyone for the female lead.
It feels good… and terrifying.
I don't even want to imagine what he'd do if something serious happened.
No. Stop thinking like that.
Then—
"Your Majesty."
Bao Si appeared beside us.
When did she get here?
She bowed to him, then turned to me. "Cousin."
"Cousin."
"I wished to spend time with you tomorrow," she said sweetly. "We haven't done so in a long while."
Of course you did.
How could I refuse?
"Of course," I smiled. "I'd love that."
Fake smile. Fake sweetness.
But inside, I knew.
The real game had just begun.