[Get out! My harem doesn't accept trash.gif]
That simple, blunt, and disgusted emoji played on repeat in Lin Wanwan's mind, almost making her laugh so hard she slid off her chair.
It turns out that beneath this emperor's seemingly calm and composed exterior lies such a simple and brutal truth. What is this talk of royal unity, what is this talk of the nation's well-being? In his eyes, anything he dislikes is utter garbage.
This possessiveness, both domineering and childish, that only she could glimpse, filled Lin Wanwan's heart with a sweet, almost cloying sweetness.
This elaborate honey trap plot, meticulously planned by Regent Xiao Yuan, ultimately came to a farcical end. The Regent lost both his wife and his army, while the Emperor and Empress, in the midst of this ordeal, found their relationship strengthened and their understanding even greater than before.
Life at Kunning Palace seemed to have returned to its former tranquility.
However, Lin Wanwan's heart could no longer be as calm as before.
On a sunny afternoon, Lin Wanwan, having finished her palace duties, took a rare moment of leisure and strolled with Ruolan in the Imperial Garden. The garden was ablaze with blooming flowers, each vying for attention, while bees and butterflies flitted among them, creating a scene of peace and tranquility.
Not far away, several concubines dressed in magnificent palace attire were gathered in a pavilion, chatting and laughing. They held exquisite round fans in their hands, waving them gently, their laughter and conversation creating a harmonious atmosphere.
But Lin Wanwan knew what kind of undercurrents were surging beneath that seemingly harmonious surface.
Since she took control of the Phoenix Seal and joined forces with the Emperor to thwart the Regent's conspiracy, an eerie "peace" has prevailed throughout the harem. No one dares to openly challenge the authority of Kunning Palace anymore. Even the concubines who usually love to gossip are now respectful and smiling when they see her.
But this is only on the surface. Behind the scenes, their struggle never ceases.
Who got an extra piece of brocade today, whose palace got a new and interesting decoration tomorrow, and who "bumped into" the Emperor in the Imperial Garden the day after tomorrow... These trivial matters still made up their entire lives. They poured all their energy and wisdom into this war without gunpowder, yet equally cruel.
Looking at those young and beautiful faces, which had long been tainted by the scheming and numbness of the deep palace, Lin Wanwan felt a deep sense of weariness for the first time.
She won; she ascended to the most prestigious position in the harem. But after this victory, what she saw was not clarity, but a larger, more magnificent… cage.
But she wasn't the only one trapped in this cage.
"Your Highness, look, that's Consort Hui," Ruolan whispered to her.
Lin Wanwan followed her gaze and saw that Consort Hui, who had been demoted for poisoning, was now carefully trying to please a newly favored concubine. Her face was full of smiles and her words were full of flattery, and she had lost all trace of her former arrogance.
Lin Wanwan sighed softly.
She suddenly realized that the fundamental reason why Consort Shu in the past, Consort Hui now, and even Xiao Yu Ruo, whom the Regent wanted to send to the palace, became participants in the conspiracy and victims of the struggle was perhaps not because they were inherently bad, but because the place and the system itself were problematic.
The imperial harem was like a giant gladiatorial arena. All the women sent in, no matter how talented or proud they were, once they entered these palace walls, had only one path to follow in their lives—to compete for the favor of the one and only man, the emperor.
Pampering is their sustenance, the foundation of their family's honor, and the only way for them to realize their self-worth.
For this elusive thing, they schemed and plotted, exhausted their youth, and smoothed out their edges. In the end, they either became numb in victory or returned to dust in defeat.
Their intelligence, their energy, and all the possibilities that should have given them a broader life were wasted on endless internal strife.
This is so tragic.
"Ruolan," Lin Wanwan stopped and looked at the group of beautiful women in the distance, speaking softly, "Do you think that if these women could all have something worthwhile to do, something to earn merit for, and something to pursue besides vying for the emperor's favor... this harem might not be what it is now?"
Ruolan was taken aback, clearly not understanding her mistress's meaning. In her view, what "proper things" could women in the harem do besides serving the emperor and vying for his favor?
Lin Wanwan didn't notice her confusion. She just continued thinking along her own lines.
She recalled the records she had read in history books in her previous life. In some more open-minded dynasties, the palace was not only filled with concubines, but also with a special group of women officials.
They did not use their beauty to curry favor, nor did they participate in palace intrigues. Instead, they relied on their talents and abilities to hold various positions in the palace, manage court affairs, and even participate in state affairs, becoming indispensable assistants to the emperor. Their status came from their achievements, not from the emperor's favor.
An incredibly bold, even shocking, idea suddenly rose up in Lin Wanwan's heart like a wildfire!
Why should she passively accept this distorted system?
She is now the Empress, the rightful mistress of this harem. Why can't she personally change it, and build a truly her own, efficient harem, one free from internal strife?
She wants to change this system!
She wanted to emulate the prosperous dynasties in history books and re-establish the position of female officials in the harem of the Great Liang Dynasty!
She wanted to let those women trapped in the deep, sorrowful palace know that there was another way for them to live besides being dependent on a man! They could establish themselves in the palace, gain respect, and realize their self-worth through their own talents and knowledge! They shouldn't just be appendages of the king, but could become independent and outstanding individuals!
Once this idea takes hold, it's like a bamboo shoot breaking through the soil—it can no longer be contained.
In an instant, an unprecedented and dazzling light burst forth in Lin Wanwan's eyes. That light was even more dazzling than the hundred flowers blooming in the Imperial Garden.
"Your Majesty? What...what are you thinking?" Ruolan looked at the unprecedented, almost fanatical expression on her mistress's face and couldn't help but feel a little flustered.
Lin Wanwan took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, suppressing the turbulent emotions in her heart. She turned her head and looked at Ruolan, her eyes filled with an unprecedented firmness and determination.
"Ruolan, I'm thinking, perhaps... it's time to let this harem live a different life."
Ruolan was completely stunned by the Empress's seemingly random yet incredibly informative thoughts. She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word. She had a vague feeling that her mistress was about to do something earth-shattering again.
Lin Wanwan didn't offer any further explanation. She turned around and gazed into the distance at the magnificent palace complex enclosed by high walls.
To others, it was a symbol of power and the pinnacle of glory.
But in her eyes, it was a huge, redundant institution in dire need of reform.
She knew that once this idea was proposed, it would touch a nerve throughout the entire empire. It challenged the traditional concept of "men being in charge of external affairs and women being in charge of internal affairs" that had been in place for thousands of years, the deeply rooted ancestral rules and regulations, and the interests of countless old forces that made a living from these rules. Its difficulty was even a hundred or a thousand times greater than overthrowing a regent.
The wave of opposition will overwhelm her like a tsunami.
But so what?
In order to build a harem that truly belongs to her, operates efficiently, and can become a solid support for her and Xiao Che, and to allow the buried talents of women to shine again within these palace walls.
She had to take this risk!
She is determined to walk this path!
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