Lin Wanwan was ultimately placed under house arrest.
Following her Oscar-worthy "fainting," the Empress Dowager sent a large amount of tonics and rewards, along with an imperial edict.
The imperial edict was grand and solemn—Her Majesty the Empress is unwell and unable to bear the strain, and needs to rest quietly in Kunning Palace. She is exempt from the morning and evening greetings, and is confined to her quarters for one month, and no one is allowed to disturb her.
This imperial edict, ostensibly showing compassion and care, was in reality a ruthless reprimand and punishment.
A new empress, having only been in the palace for a few days, was confined to her quarters for a month. This news, once it spread, undoubtedly announced to the entire harem that the empress had not won the favor of the Empress Dowager.
Lin Wanwan was fully aware of this, but she could only respectfully accept the imperial decree and express her gratitude.
After all, compared to being dragged to "classes" by the Empress Dowager every day, being able to stay peacefully in one's own palace for a month was already the best outcome.
She had thought that she would spend this month peacefully copying books, recovering from her injuries, and reflecting on life.
However, she underestimated the unconventional nature of her emperor "husband".
On the afternoon of the same day the Empress Dowager's decree was issued, Xiao Che made a decision that shocked the entire palace.
Under the pretext that "the Empress's mind is unpredictable and needs to be closely monitored to prevent her from having any wicked thoughts and disturbing His Majesty's health," he openly and legitimately... moved the Imperial Study to Kunning Palace.
Literally, it means to move.
He ordered his men to rearrange the spacious study in Kunning Palace, which was originally used by the Empress for reading and writing. His sandalwood dragon desk for reviewing memorials, his usual dragon chair, and even his usual set of writing implements were all moved from the Imperial Study untouched.
From then on, the emperor's daily office location officially changed from the Imperial Study in the Qianqing Palace to the Imperial Study in the Kunning Palace.
The news caused an uproar throughout the palace.
No one could understand the emperor's actions.
If you say he disliked the Empress, then he stayed in the Empress's palace every day, never leaving even when handling state affairs.
If you say he dotes on the Empress, his reason is "keeping a close watch on her," which clearly shows his distrust.
Immediately, all sorts of speculations arose. Some said that His Majesty had been driven mad by the idea of a marriage to ward off bad luck; others said that this was a completely new kind of "fun" between the Emperor and Empress that outsiders could not understand.
As for Lin Wanwan, the other protagonist in this bizarre incident, she was stunned for a full half-incense stick's time after learning about it.
Supervision? Surveillance?
Looking at the "[Working in a different place, so exciting.jpg]" emoji above Xiao Che's head, Lin Wanwan silently rolled her eyes.
This guy was clearly too lazy to go back and forth, and he thought this excuse would perfectly shut everyone up, so he took over his territory with a clear conscience.
Thus, within the Kunning Palace, a peculiar scene unfolded, a sight rarely seen in the entire century of the Great Zhou Dynasty—
In the spacious and bright study, a huge rosewood dragon table is placed in the center.
At one end of the dragon-shaped desk, Emperor Xiao Che, dressed in a black robe, sat upright, meticulously reviewing the mountain of memorials. His expression was focused, occasionally furrowing his brow, his vermilion brush leaving circles or annotations on the memorials.
At the other end of the dragon-shaped desk, a few steps away, stood a smaller rosewood desk.
Empress Lin Wanwan, dressed in elegant palace attire, was "diligently" carrying out the Empress Dowager's decree—to copy the "Palace Rules." She sat upright, her expression solemn, and she wrote each stroke with "extra" care.
The two were in the same room, one handling state affairs, the other "confined to reflect on his mistakes".
The sunlight outside the window was just right, and the room was quiet and still, with only the soft rustling of a pen nib across paper and the occasional gentle turning of a folded document.
The atmosphere was less like that of an emperor and empress and more like that of a pair of academic high-achievers and academic underachievers studying together in the evening.
Lin Wanwan, a "bad student," had no mind on her books at all.
While she slowly copied down the tedious palace rules, she subtly observed the "academic star" not far away from her with the corner of her eye.
After the life-or-death experience and the joint "battle" with Cixi Palace, a very subtle and tacit understanding had formed between her and Xiao Che.
She knew that they were now de facto "allies".
But this alliance is incredibly fragile. It's built on mutual exploitation and can collapse at any moment due to conflicts of interest.
To solidify the relationship, she had to demonstrate more "usefulness," making him feel that keeping her as the queen was more useful than replacing her.
Therefore, she needs to understand him, observe him, find out his needs, and then "prescribe the right medicine for the illness".
And that magical emoji was her best "cheat code".
Time slipped away little by little in this tranquil "publicly funded cohabitation".
Lin Wanwan discovered that Xiao Che's workload far exceeded her expectations. From dawn till dusk, except for mealtimes, he spent almost all his time hunched over his desk. Those thick memorials came and went in his hands, as if they would never be finished.
As a former corporate slave who had been tormented to the point of near death by the 996 work culture, Lin Wanwan even felt a sense of shared suffering and "revolutionary sympathy" for him.
Being an emperor is more tiring than being a corporate slave like her.
Over the next few days, Lin Wanwan noticed that the emojis above Xiao Che's head, aside from the occasional complaints about a poorly written memorial [What kind of crap is this?.jpg] or the unappetizing afternoon meal [Want to eat meat.jpg], were actually mostly expressions of "exhaustion".
For example, "My eyes are going to go blind.gif" or "My back is going to break.jpg".
This afternoon, just after Shenshi (3-5 PM), Lin Wanwan saw a new emoji.
She saw Xiao Che, after finishing reviewing a memorial, subconsciously raise his hand, stiffly and slowly turn his neck, his brows furrowing tightly due to discomfort.
And just then, a new animated GIF floated across his head—
It was a pixelated little man whose neck, like that of a rusty robot, was turning with difficulty, making a "clicking" sound, accompanied by a line of vivid text.
[My neck is so sore.jpg]
Upon seeing this meme, Lin Wanwan stopped slowly twirling her pen.
Her mind, which had become somewhat numb from copying books, was instantly activated.
The opportunity has arrived!
She knew this was a golden opportunity to take the initiative.
This way, you can express your "concern" and demonstrate your "value" in a natural way, without appearing too deliberate or obsequious, thus arousing his suspicion.
After all, it was perfectly normal for an empress who was confined to her quarters to reflect on her mistakes to do her duty of serving tea and water and grinding ink for the emperor who was "monitoring" her.
Lin Wanwan instantly made up her mind.
She gently placed the calligraphy brush on the brush holder, and then stood up from the chair.
She didn't go directly to Xiao Che; that would be too obviously purposeful.
She first walked to the bookshelf and pretended to tidy up the books, then picked up the empty teacup next to Xiao Che's desk, went to the outer room, and instructed Chun Tao to replace it with fresh tea.
After laying all these groundworks, she carried the freshly brewed hot tea back to the study.
She gently placed the teacup beside Xiao Che, the whole process quiet and without disturbing him in the slightest.
Xiao Che remained focused on the memorial in his hand, not even lifting his eyelids, as if he hadn't noticed her approach.
Lin Wanwan did not leave immediately.
She glanced at the inkstone beside him; the ink inside had already dried out.
So, quite naturally, she picked up the ink stick and began to grind ink for him.
Her movements were light and slow, her wrists steady, making even, subtle sounds as she circled them again and again.
The study returned to silence.
The only sounds were the soft rustling of ink sticks against the inkstone and the occasional chirping of birds from outside the window.
Lin Wanwan lowered her eyes, seemingly focused on grinding the ink, but in reality, she had already silently stood behind Xiao Che.
A perfect spot where you can easily see the back of his neck and reach out your hand at any time...
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