My Empress Is Not Simple 1
“Your Majesty, it’s time to go to the court.”
A sharp voice came to my ears. I suddenly opened my eyes. Before me was a bright yellow curtain, embroidered with the pattern of a five-clawed golden dragon, shining brilliantly in the morning light. I instinctively touched my chin—no beard.
“System?” I called out in my mind.
“Ding! Good morning, host!” A cheerful voice responded. “You are currently in the novel world of Concubine Daughter Becomes Empress. Your identity is Zhou Yuheng, ¹Emperor Jingming of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Today’s plot point: The female lead, Su Wanrou, will ‘accidentally meet’ you in the Imperial Garden.”
I sneered coldly and threw off the brocade quilt, sitting up. Two palace maids immediately came forward to help me dress, their movements gentle as if handling fragile porcelain.
“Did Your Majesty sleep well last night?” The Chief Eunuch Li Dequan bowed deeply, his face creased with wrinkles.
I glanced at him. This old fox was a key supporter of the female lead in the original story. “I dreamt someone was stuffing people onto the dragon bed. Tell me, is this a good or bad omen?”
Li Dequan’s smile froze on his face, sweat beading on his forehead. “This… this…”
I ignored him and walked straight to the bronze mirror. The person in the mirror had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a nose like a hanging gallbladder, and a pair of phoenix eyes that commanded respect without anger. This was exactly my face from my previous life—Xiao Jingyan, Emperor Wu of Daliang. It seemed this transmigration system was considerate after all, not making me act in a stranger’s face.
“System, what’s the mission?”
“Main mission: Prevent Su Wanrou from becoming Empress. Side mission: Rectify the harem and eliminate factional struggles. Rewards: Each completed mission node grants ‘Imperial Fortune’ bonuses.”
I straightened the collar of my dragon robe and strode toward the ²Taihe Hall. Outside the hall, the officials had already lined up waiting. Seeing me arrive, they all knelt down together: “Long live the Emperor, long live, long long live!”
“Rise.” I sat upright on the dragon throne and swept my gaze over the ministers below. According to the system’s plot, today’s morning court would have Minister of Revenue Su Mingyuan submit a petition to increase taxes in Jiangnan—this was his first step in paving the way for his daughter Su Wanrou.
As expected, just after finishing the discussion on border defense affairs, a middle-aged man with a goatee stepped forward. “Your servant has a memorial to present.”
“Speak.” I lifted the teacup, hiding the sneer at the corner of my lips.
“Jiangnan has enjoyed consecutive years of good harvests. I request an increase of thirty percent in taxes to replenish the national treasury…”
Clack! I slammed the teacup heavily onto the table. The entire court instantly fell silent.
“Minister Su,” I spoke slowly and deliberately, “I remember that last year, Jiangnan suffered from flooding, yet you said the same thing—‘consecutive good harvests’?”
Su Mingyuan’s face turned pale. “Your Majesty, please judge clearly, last year…”
“Last year you said it was a good harvest and wanted to raise taxes. This year you say it’s a good harvest and still want to raise taxes.”
I stood up and stepped down from the jade steps, one step at a time. “I’m very curious—does Minister Su’s own granary also have ‘consecutive good harvests’ like this?”
“I wouldn’t dare!” Su Mingyuan dropped to his knees with a thud, his forehead pressed against the golden bricks.
I strolled to stand in front of him, the hem of my dragon robe brushing the back of his hand.
“Pass my order, from today onward, the Censorate is to conduct a full investigation into the Jiangnan tax accounts. The Ministry of Revenue is to fully cooperate. If there is any corruption—” I paused, “—exterminate the entire clan.”
The court was deathly silent. I looked with satisfaction at Su Mingyuan, now collapsed weakly on the ground. This old fox was always plotting for the female lead in the original novel—today, I’ve just severed one of his arms.
After court was dismissed, I deliberately took a detour through the Imperial Garden. According to the plot, Su Wanrou should be there right now, “sorrowfully admiring the spring” and waiting to “accidentally” run into me.
“System, pull up the female lead’s profile.”
“Su Wanrou, age 17, concubine-born daughter of the Assistant Minister of Revenue. A transmigrator, carrying a ‘Beloved by All’ aura. In the original story, she uses her modern knowledge to attract the emperor, defeat the empress, and eventually ascends to the position of empress herself.”
I snorted in disdain. In my previous life, I—Xiao Jingyan—ruled the nation with an iron hand. I have no patience for opportunists like her.
Turning past an artificial hill, sure enough, I saw a girl in white standing beneath a plum tree, holding a book and striking a fragile, heart-holding beauty pose like Lady Xi Shi. Hearing footsteps, she turned around in “panic,” and the book in her hand “accidentally” fell to the ground—
Strategies for Governing a Nation.
Well, well. Going straight for the heavy material, are we? I raised an eyebrow and watched her performance.
“Your servant pays respects to Your Majesty.” She bowed gracefully, revealing the snow-white nape of her neck. “I didn’t know Your Majesty was here—please forgive my intrusion…”
“Knowing it’s an intrusion, why haven’t you stepped back yet?” I cut her off coldly.
Su Wanrou was clearly taken aback, she hadn’t expected the script to deviate like this. She bit her lip, tears glistening in her eyes. “I only saw how beautifully the plum blossoms were blooming and was reminded of the poem line, ‘Without enduring the bitter cold…’“
“These are apricot blossoms.” I pointed to the branches. “Lady Su can’t even recognize flowers properly, and you’re reading Strategies for Governing a Nation?”
Her face flushed red and then white repeatedly. I bent down and picked up the book, flipping through a couple of pages casually. “The annotations are novel, but sadly, they’re all empty, flashy nonsense.” I tossed the book back into her arms. “A woman’s virtue lies in lacking talent, Lady Su would be better off learning embroidery.”
After speaking, I turned to leave. From behind me came the system prompt: “Ding! Face-slapping points +50. Current progress: 5%!”
Back in the Qianqing Palace, I summoned Lu Zheng, Commander of the Imperial Guards—who, in the original story, was executed along with his entire family for offending the female lead.
“Investigate Su Mingyuan.” I handed over a list. “Check these people too.”
Lu Zheng took it with both hands, his thick brows furrowed. “Your Majesty, these are all—”
“Empress’s supporters?” I smiled lightly. “They’re exactly who I want investigated.”
Lu Zheng’s pupils contracted sharply, then returned to their usual sternness. “Understood, Your Majesty.”
I rubbed my jade thumb ring, recalling the original plot. The Empress, Lady Shen, came from a military family and was framed by the female lead for being unflattering. But to me, that was precisely her greatest strength.
“Proceed to Kunning Palace.”
When the imperial carriage arrived, Empress Shen was training with her maids in the courtyard. Seeing me arrive suddenly, she hurriedly sheathed her sword and bowed, her bun slightly undone.
“Your Majesty…” she breathed unevenly, cheeks flushed, a stark contrast to her usual dignified image.
I raised my hand, signaling everyone to leave, then looked at the sword in her hand with interest. “The Empress has quite the enthusiasm.”
“I have been disrespectful.” She lowered her head to apologize but secretly used her toes to hide another sword under her skirt.
I pretended not to notice and walked straight to the stone table to sit down. “Today, I dealt with Su Mingyuan.”
Empress Shen stiffened. “Your Majesty is wise.”
“You’re not going to ask why?”
She pressed her lips together. “The inner palace must not interfere in state affairs.”
I suddenly chuckled. In the original story, the female lead won the emperor’s favor by “freely discussing state affairs,” yet she didn’t understand that what a true emperor fears most is the harem meddling in politics. This woman in front of me, who knows her place, actually earns more of my respect.
“The Su family has a daughter who had a little ‘coincidental’ encounter with me in the imperial garden today,” I said deliberately, stressing my words. “She even brought along Strategies for Governing a Nation.”
Empress Shen snapped her head up, a glint of sharpness flashing in her eyes. “How bold of the Su family!”
Now that’s more like it. I watched with satisfaction as she revealed her claws. “So I came to ask the Empress, how should we deal with the ³wind blowing through the harem?”
She was momentarily stunned, then quickly caught on. “Tomorrow I will summon the consorts and concubines of each palace for instruction and reiterate the palace rules.”
“Not enough.” I shook my head. “Issue a decree, effective immediately, abolish the daily greeting system for noblewomen entering the palace. Cut harem expenditures in half, and reallocate the saved silver to military funding.”
Her eyes lit up. “Your Majesty is brilliant!” She paused, then hesitated. “But… what about the Empress Dowager?”
“I’ll handle her.” I stood and stepped closer, then suddenly reached into her sleeve and pulled out a dagger. “Next time you hide a weapon, make sure the tassel isn’t showing.”
Her ears turned red. I laughed heartily and left. As I stepped out of the palace gates, the system notification sounded: Ding! Plotline alteration detected. Original female lead’s fate value -20%!
At dinner, Li Dequan cautiously reported, “Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager requests your presence at Cining Palace for the evening meal…”
I put down the memorial I was reading, knowing this was the original story’s setup for the Empress Dowager to play matchmaker for the female lead. “Tell the Empress Dowager I am occupied with state affairs. I’ll pay my respects another day.”
Just after sending off the eunuch, a sudden noise came from outside the window. My eyes narrowed. I grabbed a paperweight and hurled it toward the window frame—
“Ah—ow!” A shadowy figure crashed to the ground.
The Imperial Guards immediately dragged someone in—it turned out to be a young woman dressed in night clothes. When they tore off her veil, it was none other than Su Wanrou, whom I had seen earlier that day.
“Your Majesty, please spare me!” she looked up pitifully, her face full of tears. “This humble girl was only… only…”
“Only here to assassinate me?” I looked down at her from above. “The Su family must have raised you well.”
“No! That’s not it!” she shook her head frantically. “I heard that Your Majesty has been working tirelessly, so I came to offer you calming tea…”
I let out a cold laugh. The excuse was so poor that even the system couldn’t hold back its sarcasm:
“Host, did the female lead pick up the wrong script?”
“Lu Zheng.” I called for the commander. “Hand her over to Su Mingyuan. Tell him that if he can’t control his daughter, I’ll be happy to do it for him.”
After handling this farce, I stood outside the hall and looked up at the star-filled sky. It was only the first day, and I’d already disrupted the original plot. Next, it was time to meet those so-called historical figures.
“System, pull up the next mission node.”
“Three days from now is the Spring Hunt. In the original plot, the female lead impresses the Emperor with her archery skills and wins his favor. Current mission: prevent the female lead from winning the hunt’s top prize.”
I narrowed my eyes. A brilliant idea suddenly came to mind.
“Issue a decree, this year’s Spring Hunt will include a new event—‘Unity and Joy between Ruler and Ministers’—all participants must shoot blindfolded.”
If I’m going to slap faces, I might as well do it thoroughly.
On the night before the Spring Hunt, I was reviewing memorials when I suddenly heard a rustling sound outside the window. Looking up, I saw a snow-white cat crouching on the windowsill, its green eyes glinting under the moonlight.
“Your Majesty, that’s the Empress’s snow lion cat,” Li Dequan whispered. “It’s usually very timid. For it to come to you on its own tonight is very unusual…”
I put down my vermilion brush. The cat leaped lightly onto the desk, its tail brushing over the wet ink on the memorials, leaving behind plum-blossom-shaped paw prints. It tilted its head at me, then suddenly opened its mouth—dropping a wax pellet onto the table.
“How interesting.” I cracked open the wax pellet. Inside was a slip of paper with just four characters:
The hunting ground has changed.
Li Dequan turned pale. “Th-this…”
“Summon Lu Zheng.” I held the note over the candle flame and burned it, then casually scratched the cat under the chin. “Tell the Empress—I’ve received her message.”
The snow lion cat narrowed its eyes in contentment, but suddenly turned and bit onto my sleeve. The force wasn’t hard, but there was a clear stubbornness in it. I followed the direction it tugged toward and noticed faint traces of a hidden door behind the bookshelf.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty!” Li Dequan dropped to his knees with a thud. “That’s a secret passage built during the late Emperor’s reign. This old servant will have it sealed immediately…”
—
¹”Jingming” are often posthumous titles or era names, chosen for their auspicious or virtuous meanings. “Jingming” roughly conveys a sense of “bright and glorious” or “clarity and brilliance.”
²Taihe Hall (Hall of Supreme Harmony) is the main hall in many Chinese imperial palaces where major ceremonies and court sessions were held.
³“the wind blowing through the harem” is a more poetic way to say “the situation or trouble brewing in the harem.”