The empress is both charming and seductive, rising through the ranks of palace intrigue.

On the first day of the eleventh lunar month, the weather suddenly became even colder. When going out, one had to wrap oneself tightly in a cloak, and a thin layer of white breath would escape from one's mouth when speaking.

The Lanyue Pavilion is located in a rather remote area, so it is inevitably a bit chilly inside in winter. Fortunately, the Imperial Household Department provided a lot of charcoal, and two basins were placed inside the hall. When they were burning, it was quite warm, and even if you wore thin clothes, you wouldn't feel cold.

Ning Shuyan practiced yoga with a relaxed and contented air. She felt she had gained some weight recently and needed to exercise more and move around more. Lately, aside from paying her respects, she spent her time lounging around the palace, reading, snacking on melon seeds, and eating fruit—living a rather carefree life.

However, Ning Shuyan knew that this was only temporary, and that it was impossible to be so carefree in the harem.

"Ziying, compared to when I was in the manor, have I really gained some weight?" Ning Shuyan asked while stretching her legs.

Ziying shook her head: "Pretty much, it's just that you're too demanding of yourself. So what if you've gained weight? The Emperor won't see it anyway."

Ziying didn't understand the reason, but she was very puzzled as to why the Emperor hadn't come to see her mistress for half a month.

"So what if I can't see it? Although women dress up for their lovers, I feel more comfortable looking at myself when I'm dressed up, don't I?" Ning Shuyan said, stretching to the side and looking at the ceiling.

"But my lady, are you really not in a hurry at all?"

Ning Shuyan, however, was not in a hurry at all. On the contrary, she liked the feeling of meeting every now and then. Relationships also need a preservative.

She smiled faintly, straightened up, and said softly, "It seems it's time to teach you some lessons, otherwise if you fall in love with someone in the future, you'll be completely devoted and obsessed with love all day long."

Just like modern women who are too well protected, they are easily deceived and prone to being blinded by love.

Upon seeing this, Qiu Le hurriedly went to stand guard outside the palace, fearing that the emperor might not announce his arrival and instead hear something he shouldn't have.

When Ziying heard Ning Shuyan bring up herself, she lowered her eyes shyly, "Why is Your Highness bringing this up?"

"What's there to be ashamed of? A woman will eventually get married."

Ziying's face flushed slightly: "Then, Your Highness, please speak. This servant will listen and learn something new."

Ning Shuyan chuckled and slowly said, "If you ever truly fall in love with a man in the future, never be completely submissive. To truly capture his heart, you must maintain a certain distance. Men are strange creatures, like fishing. If the fish bites as soon as the bait is cast, do you think he'll cherish it?"

"But what if the fish don't bite? He'll try everything to figure out what kind of bait the fish likes, what kind of hook is better. Things that you get after going to great lengths are often more unforgettable and more cherished." As she spoke, she slowly got up and sat on the couch.

Ziying seemed to understand; it meant that one shouldn't be too submissive to a man, but rather let him take the initiative.

She seemed puzzled, thinking of something: "But, Your Highness, you haven't been distant with the Emperor..."

Ning Shuyan gently picked up the teacup lid, making a soft tinkling sound, and took a leisurely sip: "He is the Emperor, not an ordinary man. If we use this method from the beginning, it could easily fail. A man who has tasted all kinds of cosmetics is not someone ordinary women are worth pondering."

Ziying nodded: "Indeed, such a woman must be incredibly beautiful, unmatched by anyone."

"But how long can one's beauty last when it is used to please others? This is the imperial harem, where there is no shortage of beauties."

She set down her teacup and smiled, saying, "Even if the Emperor dotes on you, your relationship is still more like that of a ruler and his subject; you can't be completely uninhibited. For example, with the Emperor, even if my feelings for him are only two-tenths, I can still make him sense seven-tenths. Do you know why?"

Ziying shook her head.

"That's the meaning of 'scheming.' Even ordinary couples scheme against each other, let alone the emperor!"

Ning Shuyan sighed deeply. How could she possibly want to scheme against Xiao Yu? She longed to find a good man and be with him for life, but having embarked on this path, this was all she could do.

Fortunately, she had no children. A woman without children has no worries and no weaknesses. Her relationship with Xiao Yu would be more purely defined. To Xiao Yu, she was nothing more than a tool for his amusement, and to her, Xiao Yu was merely someone she could use.

But if she has a child, it will be different. He will be the father of her child, and they will share the same bloodline. There are many things she will find hard to bear for the sake of her child.

Therefore, she won't have children so soon; in fact, she's somewhat afraid to have children.

Ziying felt a pang of sadness and looked at Ning Shuyan with a pained expression: "This servant feels sorry for Miss."

Ning Shuyan gave a self-comforting smile: "I've always believed that when God closes a window, He opens a door. I think things will get better in the future, even if it's tough now."

Ziying's voice trembled slightly: "Yes, Your Highness is right. No matter what, this servant will stay with Your Highness."

Ning Shuyan reached out and grasped Ziying's hand, saying with emotion, "Now in the palace, the only people I can trust are you and Qiule."

Just as the topic of children came up, Physician Ji brought over contraceptive medicine.

Physician Ji took out a small white bottle from his medicine chest and bowed, saying, "This humble servant has followed Your Highness's request and added angelica, poria, and astragalus, which have skin-nourishing and beautifying effects. In addition, this humble servant has carefully reduced the dosage, so Your Highness can take it every day without harming your body. If Your Highness changes your mind later, you can try to conceive in the second month after stopping the medication."

Imperial Physician Ji couldn't understand why the lady before him didn't want to have a royal heir. He knew that the ladies of the harem would try every means to conceive a royal child, because having a royal heir meant that a mother would gain status through her son and have hope for the rest of her life.

Ning Shuyan took the bottle and said with a smile, "Thank you for your trouble, Physician Ji. From now on, you can send it to me on time every month. Also, Physician Ji, please remember to hide this medicine well when you bring it into the palace to avoid causing any unnecessary trouble."

Imperial Physician Ji lowered his head and said, "Of course, I am aware of the importance of this matter, Your Majesty, please rest assured."

"In addition, when I visited the Ningyang Marquis's residence a few days ago, I saw that Consort Yun's complexion had improved considerably and she was in good health. However, Consort Yun was very concerned about Your Highness and asked me to pass on a message to Your Highness: do not stand out in any matter, and be patient if you can. Your Highness is currently deeply indebted to the Emperor, but there is no guarantee that you will not lose it one day. Protecting yourself is the most important thing."

Ning Shuyan nodded.

These were words her aunt had told her before she entered the palace: she didn't ask for wealth and glory, she only asked to live a peaceful life.

However, the concubine forgot that this was the imperial harem. If you keep enduring, you'll only be at the mercy of others. You must be assertive when necessary. Only by being strong can you protect yourself.

While in the Marquis's mansion, she endured everything, mainly because she didn't want to cause trouble for her aunt. Her aunt was too weak-willed, and the original owner had inherited her personality—taciturn, timid, and afraid of trouble.

When I was ten years old, a high fever killed me, and that's when I transmigrated.

Subsequently, the most common phrase used to describe him in the household was "a drastic change in temperament".

I heard that when my aunt was pregnant with the original owner of this body, she kept her pregnancy a secret for five months in order to give birth safely and not be discovered by the Lady of the Marquis. Those five months were extremely difficult.

The concubine suffered a difficult childbirth when she gave birth to the original owner, which damaged her vital energy and made her unable to conceive again.

What made Ning Shuyan feel even more was that a woman's ten months of pregnancy and childbirth were truly great, but at the same time, it was like having one foot in the grave.