On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

An hour later, the main hall of Kunning Palace was packed with people.

Of course, "crowded" is an adjective; in reality, there were only about thirty women.

It is said that the imperial harem of the Great Zhou Dynasty had over a hundred people at its peak, but after years of neglect, death from illness, and dismissal, only this many remain.

The highest-ranking consort was Empress Zhao Shuyu, followed by two imperial concubines, Consort De and Consort Rong.

Below them are three concubines and five noble ladies, and the rest are all ladies-in-waiting and ladies-in-waiting.

They were brought in one by one, some dressed neatly, clearly having been informed in advance and changed their clothes.

Others, however, had disheveled hair, clearly having just been dragged out of bed.

Lin Yi sat at the head of the table, watching the women file in.

Zhao Shuyu walked at the front.

Today she wore a dark red phoenix robe, a gold hairpin in her hair, powder on her face, and her lips were pursed into a thin line.

He entered with his back ramrod straight, his eyes fixed straight ahead, each step he took on the gold bricks with a resounding thud.

She stopped when she reached the center of the hall.

They didn't kneel or bow.

"Regent," she began, her voice laced with sarcasm, "this Kunning Palace is my sleeping quarters. Regent, you have barged into the inner palace without prior notice and summoned the concubines. Isn't this against propriety?"

Lin Yi picked up his teacup and glanced at her.

"Please sit down."

Zhao Shuyu was stunned and stood there without moving.

Lin Yi didn't urge her, and lowered his head to drink his tea.

None of the concubines behind dared to move; they all stood still, staring at each other in bewilderment.

Several low-ranking servants had started trembling, whether from the cold or fear, it was hard to tell.

Zhao Shuyu stood for more than ten breaths before finally succumbing to Lin Yi's tyranny and sitting down on a chair to the side.

Only after she sat down did the other concubines find places to stand.

There was a row of chairs on each side of the main hall, with those of higher rank sitting and those of lower rank standing behind them.

Lin Yi glanced around.

There were about thirty women, the oldest being over forty and the youngest looking to be under twenty.

Some had a rosy complexion, were dressed in gold and silver, and were extremely luxurious.

Others had sallow complexions, as if they hadn't seen the sun for years, and wore thin clothes.

With only a few dozen people, you can easily tell who's high and who's lowly at a glance.

Lin Yi asked Qiangzi, "Is everyone here?"

Qiangzi checked the roster: "Your Highness, there are thirty-one registered concubines in the harem, and twenty-nine have been added so far. Two are still missing: one is bedridden with illness, and the other…"

"What? Tell me."

Qiangzi lowered his voice: "One of them was a palace maid of Yang Guifei. They say she died last year, but the palace records haven't been removed from the register."

Lin Yi frowned.

The records are still kept even though the person is dead; the management of the harem is truly chaotic.

"Alright, that's enough people." Lin Yi put down his teacup and stood up.

The women in the hall tensed up.

Lin Yi didn't beat around the bush and just stood there and spoke.

"I know you're all afraid. There's been a battle outside, the palace defenses have been reshuffled, and you're all uncertain whether you'll live or die today. But let me tell you, I'm not here to scare you."

"I don't care how you fought and schemed in this harem before, who harmed whom, who trampled on whom. I have no interest in those old, trivial matters. But from today onward, you will all live your lives here obediently."

As he spoke, his gaze swept across everyone's face.

Some people lowered their heads, some avoided him, and some stared at him with wide eyes, their faces full of desire to take his place.

But nobody knew what he was going to say next.

"You will not be shortchanged in your food, clothing, and daily necessities. From now on, the palace supplies will be distributed uniformly by the Shenji Battalion, according to rank. You will receive exactly what you are entitled to, and no one should try to take more than their share."

Several low-ranking nobles and concubines visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

In the past, in the imperial harem, resources were controlled by the empress and a few senior concubines. Whether the people below could eat their fill and stay warm depended entirely on the mood of those above.

Now we've finally made it through the tough times.

This regent wasn't as scary as the legends suggested. On the contrary, he was much younger than Nangong Xiong and in good health.

Lin Yi continued, "But remember this: if anyone tries anything underhanded, like bringing in all sorts of shady characters from outside—whether it's spreading rumors or plotting something—don't blame me, Lin Yi, for turning my back on them."

"You're not being locked up here; you're just living your lives here. If you've figured it out, then live your lives well. If you haven't, I can send her to the cold palace to think it over slowly."

The main hall was so quiet that you could hear the crackling of the charcoal brazier.

After saying these words, Lin Yi sat back down.

Some of the women below were sobbing softly, while others bit their lips and remained silent, their expressions blank.

Among them, Consort Zhou, who was wearing a faded cotton-padded jacket, stood in the far corner and looked up at Lin Yi.

That look in his eyes... how should I put it, it was a bit resentful.

It seemed like she was complaining about why Lin Yi was only arriving now.

Lin Yi naturally noticed her, but didn't say anything.

"Everyone, disperse."

"Thank you, Your Highness." The women, as if granted a pardon, bowed their heads and filed out.

When they left, no one dared to stand next to anyone else; they all huddled close to the wall, their steps hurried.

The hall was soon empty.

Only one person remained: Zhao Shuyu.

She sat there upright, her hands folded on her knees, showing no intention of leaving.

Lin Yi looked at her, and Zhao Shuyu also looked back. Finally, she spoke first: "I understood what the Regent had just said. However, I would like to ask, when the Regent said that he had everything he needed, was he saying this to everyone, or just to give face to the lower-ranking concubines?"

That's a very direct statement.

She was the Empress, the highest-ranking woman in the entire harem.

Lin Yi just said that supplies would be distributed according to rank, so her share would naturally be the highest.

So the concern isn't about the amount of money allocated, but about power.

She used to have the final say in all matters of the harem. Even though she was nominally in charge of the six palaces, she actually held all the power.

Who gets an extra portion of charcoal or a bolt of cloth depends entirely on her word.

Now that Lin Yi says the distribution will be handled by the Shenji Battalion, it's tantamount to stripping her of her power.

Lin Yi put down his teacup: "Your Majesty, there's no need to worry about your allowance. You will receive everything you're entitled to."

"I'm not referring to allowances."

"Then what are you saying?"

Zhao Shuyu raised her chin: "I am the Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and I have always been in charge of matters concerning the harem. Although the Regent holds immense power, this harem..."

"What's wrong with the harem?"

Zhao Shuyu's lips moved slightly, but she swallowed back the words she was about to say.

Lin Yi stood up, walked to Zhao Shuyu, and sat down in the chair opposite her.

The two faced each other, separated by a small square table, and addressed each other by their first names.

"Zhao Shuyu."

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, addressing the Empress by her given name was considered extremely disrespectful.

But Lin Yi didn't care about any of that. When he called Nangong Xiong, didn't he call him that as if it were perfectly natural?

Zhao Shuyu's face twitched slightly, clearly showing some anger.

Lin Yi said, "What I said earlier was for them to hear, but what I'm saying to you alone now is different from what I said to them."