After an unknown amount of time, Ah Li was truly exhausted. She nestled in Yuwen Zheng's arms, too lazy to move.
Yuwen Zheng placed his hand on Ah Li's back and suddenly said, "Perhaps it was fate. Otherwise, with so many women around, why did I choose you to be my Imperial Concubine?"
Ah Li didn't dare to speak because this was the original owner's sister's first meeting with Yuwen Zheng, and she didn't know the specifics of what had happened.
Yuwen Zheng thought Ah Li was asleep, so he pulled the blanket closer to Ah Li to cover her up.
At that time, the group of young women had just entered the palace, and none of them were willing to submit to the others.
And because no one was favored, and no one was superior to others.
This group of young women was the first to enter the palace, and there were no senior officials above them. They were taught the palace rules by a few head maids.
The Empress Dowager spent most of her life practicing vegetarianism and reciting Buddhist scriptures, and rarely interfered in the affairs of the inner palace.
Yuwen Zheng was even less inclined to care. He only agreed to let the young women enter the palace to appease the ministers in the court.
The world is now at peace; there is no war or turmoil.
With nothing else to do, they started digging into his harem.
One minister said, "The Emperor's harem has been empty for many years; it's time to bring in some women."
Another minister said, "The emperor should also have people around him who understand his needs and concerns."
Throughout history, emperors have often been cold-hearted. To be a good emperor, one must not let others see what is on one's mind.
Yuwen Zheng was not a gentle emperor; he possessed both the bravery of a warrior on the battlefield and the wisdom to govern the country.
However, the path to becoming an emperor is not smooth; it requires the emperor to make choices between emotions and responsibilities.
Yuwen Zheng's apparent indifference was not due to cold-heartedness, but rather because he had learned to conceal his emotions.
He understood that if an emperor had too many emotions, he would easily be swayed by them and thus lose control of the country.
Therefore, he chose to protect himself with ruthlessness and maintain the stability of the country with an iron fist.
When Tong Jiajia appeared, she had something in her eyes, and she also had the courage to say, "Your Majesty, I will behave myself and manage the harem well for you."
At that time, Yuwen Zheng asked her, "Do you want to be the empress?"
Being an empress is not something just anyone can do.
Tong Jiajia shook her head and said, "I am unwilling. I only want to relieve the Emperor's worries. The harem needs a person in charge. I, Tong Jiajia, am the eldest daughter of the Tong family. I think I am capable of this task."
At that time, Tong Jiajia made Yuwen Zheng feel that if she were not a woman, she might also be able to make great strides in the court.
Yuwen Zheng did not answer her immediately; instead, he went back.
Upon returning, he issued an imperial decree, making Tong Jiajia a Noble Consort, and the others were all granted the titles of Noble Lady, Concubine, Attendant, and Lady-in-Waiting.
Those who received titles all had connections in the previous dynasty; they were not granted titles arbitrarily.
Tong Jiajia's father was a Grand Tutor, and his power was greater than that of others.
No one would object to making Tong Jiajia a Noble Consort.
None of the women in this batch were rejected; they were all kept.
However, Yuwen Zheng was always preoccupied with political affairs and rarely entered the inner palace.
This time, I've decided to be with Ahri and let her bear a prince...
Yuwen Zheng felt that this was also a well-thought-out decision; otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen the Imperial Concubine when he encountered so many women in the Imperial Garden that day.
Thinking of this, Yuwen Zheng picked up a strand of Ah Li's hair and placed it between his noses, then continued to think: If she hadn't been so enthusiastic, he definitely wouldn't have cared for her so much.
But did I think this person was nice from the first meeting, or is it only now that I'm starting to care about them?
Yuwen Zheng thought that when they first met, he only regarded her as a subordinate who could get things done and dared to fight for herself; if it wasn't her, it would have been someone else.
Now, with the two of them intertwined, Yuwen Zheng thought: He's doomed, doomed by this concubine who seems even more cold-hearted than him.
Back when he was still a prince, he had witnessed firsthand the methods employed by the concubines in his father's palace.
Whichever concubine receives the emperor's favor becomes proud, while if someone else receives the emperor's attention, she will either complain of feeling unwell or have a headache or fever, and will send someone to invite the emperor to come and see her.
Yuwen Zheng sometimes wondered what he could have done if his father, the emperor, hadn't been a physician back then.
Or they would use the princes and princesses as a pretext to force the emperor to go and see them.
Later, Yuwen Zheng gradually realized that this was all the work of the women in the harem.
Before entering the palace, the head maids would give instructions and explicitly forbid certain underhanded methods.
Therefore, Yuwen Zheng rarely saw anyone harm others in order to gain favor.
There are many ways to punish people in the imperial harem. Sometimes, forcing someone to kneel or copy scriptures can take half their life.
As dawn approached, Yuwen Zheng got up.
The chief eunuch had already led people in and helped Yuwen Zheng put on the dragon robe.
The head eunuch glanced cautiously toward the bed, only to feel Yuwen Zheng's murderous gaze upon him.
The head eunuch quickly looked away, but he saw nothing.
The bed was completely covered by a gauze curtain, making it impossible to see what was inside.
Yuwen Zheng adjusted the jade pendant at his waist and said to the chief eunuch, "It's better not to look at things you shouldn't."
The head eunuch lowered his head, on the verge of tears, and somewhat fearfully wanted to kneel down.
Yuwen Zheng kicked him, saying in a low voice, "Pull the cat pee out of your eyes. If you wake up the Imperial Concubine, I'll make sure you never cry again."
The chief eunuch was caught in a dilemma: he couldn't kneel or not, so he had no choice but to follow Yuwen Zheng out.
Ah Li slept very well. When she woke up, she found that Yuwen Zheng had brought the memorial over to read.
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