Chapter 2

Chapter 2

That night, the Emperor arrived at my palace with visible reluctance.

I understood his intent; he was here to secure the child’s place in the imperial registry.

I closed my eyes, refusing to look at Liu Hong, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

In a daze, my dreams drifted back to a night of torrential rain, my mind a chaotic mess of sinking and floating emotions.

That man had always been dignified and self-restrained, yet he allowed me to pin him down onto the bed, kissing him haphazardly.

I reached my hand into his robes, but he caught my wrist.

A trace of clarity remained in his eyes. “Empress, trysting with a courtier is a capital offense.”

I struggled slightly, my eyes misty with unshed tears. “Stopping now is a living punishment.”

He stared at me fixedly for a moment before releasing my hand, his breathing growing heavy.

“Empress, I truly have no way to deal with you.”

He had originally come inside to seek shelter from the rain. He hadn’t expected to encounter me and be swept into an even more turbulent storm.

I was jolted awake by the flickering candlelight. That man, standing as straight as a slender bamboo by the bedside, wore an expression of utter helplessness.

“Empress, you are lying on my memorial.”

Confused, I wondered what memorial he was talking about.

Subconsciously, I reached out and felt around the bed. Indeed, his official report was pinned beneath my waist.

I hurriedly tried to hand it over, but he didn’t take it. He merely frowned slightly, his gaze deep and inscrutable.

Looking closely, I saw that the ink on the cover had blurred. His title and name were no longer clear; it would likely need to be rewritten.

He leaned down, his long fingers brushing against the small of my back. “Empress, you have my name on your body.”

My heart hammered against my ribs, and a scorching flush spread across my face, reaching all the way to the back of my ears.

He took the memorial from my hand and walked toward the door.

“Empress, do you intend to leave the inner palace?”

I lowered my eyes and said nothing.

His gaze turned cold abruptly, followed by a mocking laugh.

“I see. You don’t just want to be the Empress; you want to be the Empress Dowager.”

He was right.

I, Zhao Zhen, intended to be the Empress and then the Empress Dowager. This was what I deserved.

Liu Hong thought he was the one who bestowed the honor of the phoenix crown upon me, but my position was bought with the lives of my parents and brother.

My father was a general. Quite by accident, he married my mother, who was also a general.

Then they had my brother and me. My brother joined the army at a young age, while I could only remain in the lady’s chambers, waiting for marriage.

Their prestige in the military grew so great that the late Emperor became wary of the Zhao family. No one dared to ask for my hand in marriage.

After my entire family died in battle, the late Emperor reclaimed their military power. To appease the army, he betrothed me into the imperial family.

I was the designated future Empress. Whichever prince I married was the one the late Emperor favored for the throne.

Liu Hong was naturally overjoyed to marry me. But I had lost everything; I had nothing left but the empty title of Empress.

Since I am the Empress, how could I not become the Empress Dowager?

The next sovereign must come from my womb.

When I startled awake from the dream, the Emperor had already left.

One month later, the medical records and the palace journals were perfectly aligned. The Emperor announced to the entire Imperial Harem: the Empress was one month pregnant.