"In this harem, the most important thing is to know your place. Don't you agree?"
The Empress Dowager's seemingly ordinary question weighed heavily on the hearts of everyone in Cixi Palace, like a boulder.
Upon hearing this, Consort Shu's lips curled into a gloating smile. She knew that her aunt's actions would be extraordinary. This new empress would be severely punished, if not killed, today.
Lin Wanwan felt as if her already dwindling health bar had been slashed again.
She knew that the Empress Dowager was forcing her to make a statement.
She could only force herself to remain calm and obediently reply, "What Mother says is true."
"Talking is useless."
The Empress Dowager was clearly dissatisfied with her perfunctory attitude. She turned her attention back to Lin Wanwan, and the reprimand entered a new and heated phase.
She no longer confined herself to the trivial matters of the harem, but instead elevated the topic to the level of national affairs and the world.
"Your Majesty is the mother of the nation. Your every word and action not only affects the peace of the inner palace, but also the stability of the court and the very survival of our Great Zhou Dynasty!"
"Back when I first entered the palace, I was also trembling with fear, as if walking on thin ice. Every morning and evening I would pay my respects to the late Emperor and serve him without the slightest negligence. Now that you are the Empress, you should set an example for the entire palace!"
"Tell me, what are the 'Nine Virtues' in the 'Rules for Women'? And what are the 'Four Conducts' in the 'Instructions for Women'?"
The Empress Dowager's words grew increasingly harsh and grand. She seemed to have transformed into the most demanding examiner, placing countless heavy accusations on Lin Wanwan's head, one after another.
The air pressure inside the hall was so low that it was almost as if water could be wrung out of it.
Lin Wanwan lowered her head, feeling as if her mind had completely turned into a pot of porridge.
"Rules for Women"? "Instructions for Women"?
God knows what those things are! She's a modern-day office worker who hasn't even read all four classic Chinese novels, how would she know about these feudal dregs that restricted women in ancient times!
She could only stammer and stumble through her pitiful, hazy memories of the original owner. With each wrong answer or the slightest hesitation, the Empress Dowager's face darkened, and her reprimanding voice rose a notch.
Her words were like an invisible hammer, relentlessly striking at Lin Wan-wan's dignity, as if she wouldn't stop until she was scolded until she cried and begged for mercy.
Lin Wanwan knew she couldn't continue being passive like this.
If she continued to be scolded like this, even if she wasn't drowned in spittle, her already weak body would really break down on the spot.
She had to find a way to stop this endless "psychological bullying".
Her only breakthrough lay with the emperor, who remained an outsider throughout the entire affair.
So, while pretending to be humble and uneasy, Lin Wanwan kept her eyes glued to the small "display screen" above Xiao Che's head.
She saw that as the Empress Dowager's reprimand escalated, the irritable little figure above Xiao Che's head, with the caption "When will this ever end?!", finally disappeared.
Instead, a tiny figure is overwhelmed by countless documents and reports, its small hand outstretched, its face etched with despair, accompanied by a large caption—
[Someone, please save me! .jpg]
Seeing this expression, Lin Wanwan's heart stirred.
There's a chance!
He was even more impatient than he had imagined!
She continued to hold on, listening as the Empress Dowager spoke of the virtues of imperial concubines, the virtues of frugality, and then the fundamental principles of filial piety.
The conversation drifted further and further off course, becoming increasingly boring.
Finally, the emoji above Xiao Che's head changed again.
The little man buried under the documents disappeared, replaced by a little man lying on the beach, wearing sunglasses, leisurely drinking coconut juice, looking serene and content.
[I really want to leave work.gif]
Lin Wanwan: "..."
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and continued to wait.
The time is not yet ripe.
She needed a stronger signal, a signal that would assure him that he would absolutely cooperate after she "took action".
The Empress Dowager seemed to have a dry throat from talking. She picked up her teacup, took a sip to moisten her throat, and then turned her gaze back to the swaying Lin Wanwan, preparing to deliver the final blow.
"Your Majesty, you have just entered the palace and are facing a great upheaval. You must not be familiar with many of the rules. This is my oversight," she said slowly, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger. "Here's what we'll do: starting tomorrow, you will copy the 'Palace Rules' and 'Inner Instructions' one hundred times each, carefully study them, and reflect on them. You may come to pay your respects to me only after you have finished copying them."
Copy it a hundred times?!
Lin Wanwan felt dizzy upon hearing this.
Let alone a hundred times, in her current state, copying it just once would probably kill her!
This is not teaching; it is clearly a disguised form of corporal punishment and confinement!
However, it was precisely this punitive remark that became the last straw that broke the camel's back—of course, it was the "camel" that broke Xiao Che.
Lin Wanwan clearly saw that the moment the Empress Dowager said "copy it a hundred times," the relaxed vacation-like expression on Xiao Che's head was instantly shattered by a bolt of lightning!
Immediately afterwards, a brand new, long-awaited, and truly "apocalyptic" emoji finally appeared!
It was a pixelated figure, kneeling with its hands clasped together above its head, its face displaying an exaggerated pleading expression, its entire body swaying violently back and forth, accompanied by three large, gleaming golden characters—
[Help! Someone come quick to the rescue!]
Now!
Lin Wanwan's heart skipped a beat at that moment.
All her hesitation and concerns vanished in that instant.
Her body reacted faster than her brain.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
The Empress, who had been listening respectfully with her head bowed, suddenly looked away, as if she had lost focus.
Immediately afterwards, her body went limp, like a delicate flower broken by a strong wind, and she fell to one side without warning.
"ah……"
A soft, perfectly timed gasp, filled with infinite weakness and pain, escaped from her lips.
Her movements were completely unforced and natural. It was the exhaustion that came naturally after her body had reached its limit. The way she fell even had a morbid, broken "beauty," neither appearing too disheveled nor lacking in vulnerability, yet clearly showing her helplessness.
"Bang--"
A soft thud was the sound of her hairpin hitting the floor tiles as she fell to the ground.
The entire Cixi Palace fell into a deathly silence in an instant.
Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events.
The Empress Dowager, who was speaking eloquently, suddenly stopped, her face full of astonishment.
Consort Shu, who was gloating from the side, had her mouth agape, wide enough to fit an egg, and was completely caught off guard.
The palace servants, after a brief moment of stunned silence, let out suppressed gasps of surprise.
"Your Majesty!"
"Her Majesty the Empress has fainted!"
"Quickly! Summon the imperial physician!"
Chaos erupted instantly inside the hall.
However, there was one person who acted faster than everyone else.
The moment Lin Wanwan collapsed, Emperor Xiao Che, who had been resting with his eyes closed as if asleep, suddenly opened them!
There was no trace of sleepiness in his eyes, only a perfectly feigned look of "astonishment" and "worry".
"Empress!"
He gave a low shout and was the first to stand up from his chair, his movement so fast it almost created a gust of wind.
He rushed to Lin Wanwan's side in three strides, without even glancing at the chaotic crowd around him. He bent down and, with an undeniable force, scooped up the unconscious petite figure in his arms.
His arms were steady and strong, as if he were holding not a living person, but a light, fluffy wad of cotton.
"Empress Dowager," Xiao Che said urgently yet politely, holding Lin Wanwan in his arms, turning to face the Empress Dowager, who sat on the main seat looking equally astonished. "The Empress has just recovered from a serious illness and her health is still not fully restored. Now, her health is even worse. I will take her back to the palace for treatment first, and we will come to pay our respects to you another day!"
After saying that, without even waiting for the Empress Dowager's reply, he picked up Lin Wanwan and strode out of the hall without looking back.
His back view was resolute and determined.
He left behind a stunned crowd, as well as the Empress Dowager and Consort Shu, whose composure had been completely thrown off balance by his actions. They stood there dumbfounded, looking at each other in disbelief.
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