I've made it. I've made it to the morning court assemblies the Emperor attends to. Instead of standing on the side, I was situated near the Emperor. The officials pretended as if I didn't exist, but I knew I was overwhelming.

I laid behind the Emperor's throne, on a golden seat that was comfortable for me.

Empress Wu Zetian had attended her husband's morning court assemblies like this. Behind the 'iron curtains', behind the Emperor's throne. But I wasn't going to be the first female emperor. I didn't want to stay long enough to be that... I also didn't want to get rid of the Emperor's sons.

Ha, I'm funny.

I caught a few looks from some of the officials. They glanced back and forth from the Emperor to me. I was silent most of the time. They were discussing boring war tactics and I wanted to fall asleep. The only reason I was here was to help the turmoil that was happening in the capital and a few regions to the east.

After they finished, I spoke up, "Your Majesty, are there provinces that may be wealthier than the rest?"

"Your Majesty, is the Empress allowed to—" an official rushed to the front, but the Emperor flicked his wrist as a 'move' signal.

The Emperor cleared his throat. "Yes."

"I believe if there is, we can have a system where we use wealthier provinces' taxes to fund other services in the poorer provinces," I responded, a little bit nervous because I didn't know how to word it. "I know we are unsure about why things are happening as of now, but I believe this can help."

I observed the reactions of the array of men. A few officials patiently listened, some nodding their heads. Many were tight-lipped. I knew I would irritate them, and at one point, provoke them to do something terrible. The more they see me here, the more they'll get used to it.

Which was what I believed.

Minister Feng was the first to step in and counter my idea. I briefly explained even more, with details, and whatever I remembered from eleventh-grade law class. Whatever I spewed out, was pretty convincing because the Emperor didn't reject my proposal.

There was also a new chancellor the Emperor had chosen. He looked fairly younger than the rest, even with the long beard. We made eye contact and he smiled at me, nodding his head in approval. When I adjusted my position, he made his way to the middle.

"Your Majesty, this is an excellent idea! Then, we will have more time to resolve this issue and not worry about citizens suffering," the new chancellor exclaimed.

He praised my idea with an eager look on his face. The chancellor was at the top hierarchy. If he liked what I said, there was more possibility for the Emperor to accept what I said.

The Emperor, even if I can only see the back of his head and his crown, nodded. "Empress, this is a great idea!"

"Your Majesty, is she allowed to meddle with state affairs like this?" another minister asked, kneeling in the middle with a strong kowtow. Some of the officials looked down, some looked next at the people next to them.

I cleared my throat. "Are you insulting me?"

The minister gritted his teeth. He glared up at me and shook his head. I didn't want to dominate the court because this would jeopardize my throne. It was not smart to put the spotlight on me. Yet, I really wanted to grill him.

"No, I just believe that you, Empress, should resign! You are bad luck to the harem," the minister uttered. Minister Feng raised his chin and stared at him with a smug look on his face. "After the late empress has passed, only one concubine is pregnant! When the late empress was still alive, four women became pregnant! This woman will bring infertility to the harem!"

"Enough!" the Emperor slammed the table in front of him and stood up. After the officials pleaded for him to appease his anger, only then was he sitting back on the throne.

He gripped the armrests tightly. "You insulted the Empress... By law, you should be punished!"

Nobody outside of the Palace knows the exact amount of pregnant women in the harem. This, I knew for sure. The minister was not in high importance to even have this information. Also, he knew that this could kill him.

He was a scapegoat. The way Minister Feng smugly looked at him was obvious. Minister Feng didn't care if I saw him. He thought that he could catch me during the polo game that was coming up.

Little did he know that I had a trick under my sleeve.

"Drag him out!" the Emperor roared, and the guards quickly took him.

There was no way for Minister Feng to know the number of pregnant concubines there was in the harem. The Emperor was letting him get away without questioning him? I watched as he fought against the guards, but there was no use.

I knew the Emperor wasn't stupid. He stood up. "The Empress has reigned for less than a month. How many years has the late empress been by my side?"

Minister Feng looked away.

"How do you know the exact number of pregnant concubines?" the Emperor asked, standing up straight.

The minister in the grip of the guards shook his head and laughed as the guards dragged him away. I watched Minister Feng carefully and saw the relief on his face. This man was powerful enough to have someone die for him.

I was slightly intimidated.

The Emperor wasn't going to get answers right now. Whatever. I'll interrogate everyone. I'll do what it takes to find out. I didn't want him to be overwhelmed by this. Nothing was smooth sailing. Minister Feng was going down.

Who else knew except for the concubines? Who else accompanied us most of the time? Who else would attend to these pregnant concubines?

The maids.

And I knew which one specifically because this one sneaked out late at night to speak to someone.

Before more damage, I rushed back to my estate. The eunuchs carrying the sedan chair were rushing as well. I spoke to Li Shu during the ride.

"There wasn't any suspicious movement regarding Chang Ying's maids, was there?" I asked, tapping my fingers on my thigh.

Li Shu shook his head. "No, Your Majesty. What have you found out?"

"They're working with Minister Feng," I whispered. "You need to go and ask for them to see me. The polo game is coming up in two days and I need to prepare... Before these maids do more damage, I need them gone."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Li Shu paused and turned back. I watched as he walked in the opposite direction in a hurry.

When I arrived back at my palace, Hua Er and my maids greeted me in unison. I settled myself on my throne. There was no need for discussion. I was going to get the truth out of them and execute them. This was the first time that I ever sentenced someone to death and I was excited. Call me a psychopath all you want but I wasn't going to go easy on anyone.

Hua Er interrupted my thoughts. "Empress, what happened?"

"Nothing too bad," I gave her a reassuring glance. "Chang Ying's old maids have been conspiring with Minister Feng, I believe."

I paused for a few seconds before explaining everything that happened to Hua Er. She listened intently, watching me as my hand gestures were waving around. It was much needed. I liked to stay reserved but I couldn't keep this inside of me. I was glad Hua Er was with me. Without her, I don't think I would have made it.

A woman like me needed emotional support, time to time, no matter how confident I was.

After a few minutes in silence, Chang Ying's maids have entered. Lei Shu was looking directly at me. She wore a different attire from them, a very similar one to Hua Er. Due to my high status, they were dressed lavishly.

The four maids walked towards me. My calculations were wrong. Chang Ying originally had eight maids, which means three maids had already left.

When I was an Imperial Noble Consort, I refused to have that many maids. It was quite easy to identify me anyway.

As they kneeled, I motioned Lei Shu to come to me. She slowly walked towards the space between Hua Er and me and stood silently. Lei Shu looked at me and nodded.

"Joy and bliss to the Empress," they said in harmony, quickly getting on their knees to kowtow to me.

Lei Shu leaned towards my ear and whispered, "The maid on the far left was the one who sneaked out to meet someone at night."

She was shaking under her hanfu, which I noticed. I don't understand why you'd be afraid. You reap what you sow.

I didn't want to waste any time.

"Why?" I asked, sharply. They slightly jumped at my immediate response and carefully looked up to face me.

How dedicated can they be to their mistress? Has Chang Ying asked them to seek revenge before she died? Was this also one of her plans? I smirked at their nervousness because I knew they understood the situation.

Either they lie to my face... or admit to their wrongdoings.

I would never sentence anyone to death personally. For the sake of my position and well-being, I had to. These maids were up to no good and so were many people here. Everyone was out to get me. No one can blame me for protecting myself. I can't even justify why I shouldn't call for their execution.

They shook their heads. "Your Majesty, we don't know what you mean!"

"Of course you don't," I crossed my legs and leaned on the side of the armrest. "Must I torture you to make you understand? Or will you admit to what you've done?"

Silence. They had their heads down to avoid my glare. The maid on the far left looked up. She was young. I expected if you were a young maid, you would be cautious as to what you were doing. If you were older, you would play riskier.

I let out a sharp exhale. "You and Minister Feng are working together?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," she said sheepishly. I already saw the tears in her eyes while she spoke. "... We all did."

"Your Majesty, I didn't mean to! Please forgive me! It was all her idea!" another maid spoke up.

Ha! They weren't in this together, were they? All of them planned to play the blame game and I wasn't surprised if the one on the far left wanted to use the others as a scapegoat. I'm starting to be convinced that I was a master of all schemes.

Hua Er was the first to speak up after them. "What was your plan? What did he get you to do?"

"W-We would be a spy... and get as much information about Her Majesty as possible," one of the maids explained. She looked at Hua Er and then at me. "Your Majesty, this is shameful of us! We were promised a large sum of gold. We could avenge our mistress!"

The one on the left kowtowed. "Please forgive us, Your Majesty! We told the truth! We weren't going to harm you!"

Chang Ying had a lot of effect on people, didn't she? All these maids were still dedicated and loyal towards her like she was their mother. To make matters worse, they fell for Minister Feng's bribery. Whenever I thought of him, I would have never thought that he'd keep his promises. That man was a filthy liar and I already have sworn to destroy him.

Tomorrow, if he wants information on me, he'll end up finding out something else. Then what else is he going to do? I scoffed to myself. His only source of information will be gone.

"Your mistress is dead," my voice boomed. "Get over it!"

They were good at acting like they weren't taken aback. While they nodded their head in unison and begged me for forgiveness, I curtly nodded at Li Shu. The guards were already making their way into my estate.

I wanted to reach for a quick sip of water but I wanted to speak. I spoke softly, "The death of Chang Ying hurt me as well. It pained me. I couldn't sleep for days. You four aren't the only one affected by her death."

Still, no response. I decided to continue.

"Chang Ying and I had a great relationship. We both shared laughter, talked about many things, and cared for one another," I explained. "But she betrayed me."

The guards silently bowed. They stood behind the maids who were now in stillness. I hesitated to command the guards to execute them. I was battling myself in my head. There were times I had to doze off to think for a few seconds. It was hard to make decisions like this because I was too good for my own good.

"I know you four love Chang Ying, as much as His Majesty does... or did," I took a quick sip of water and gently placed the cup back onto the coaster. "But Chang Ying ruined me. I trusted her and she ruined me."

Here, standing in front of me, four maids that will potentially plot against me. They technically already did. Minister Feng would do anything it takes to either depose me or get me killed. I don't know why he wants to get rid of me so much, but Bao Zhai could be a big factor. The maids would've been an accomplice to this if Minister Feng did end up killing me in one way or another.

I smiled. "So remove the image of your mistress in your head, because she was not who she seems. Don't you know about Wan Er's son?"

Still, they didn't respond, but the twitch in the youngest maid's mouth gave me a response.

"Of course you do," I nodded. "Chang Ying, although she betrayed me, she was still a virtuous woman with kindness in her heart... She was a woman in love, and overindulgence of love will make you do bizarre things."

And now, for the ending of my speech.

I breathed, "I will always remember her."

While they reflected upon what I said, I continued to ponder on what I should do. This was my life at stake, I should want to execute them.

Hua Er seemed to notice because she turned to face me. "Your Majesty... Those four maids... they still could've harmed you. Please do not pity them."

Immediately after she spoke, I nodded. A small smirk spread on my lips. I was proud to see Hua Er like this. It was rare. I was glad to see it happen—Hua Er becoming less sensitive. She could've saved my life. What if I didn't decide to execute them?

Before I ordered the execution, I needed information. "Is Minister Feng going alone to the polo game?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, he is," the third maid nodded her head. "He believes that it will raise more suspicion if he didn't."

I took a light sip of my tea and placed it down on the tray.

"What a shame," I shook my head. "Perhaps if you had the same honesty as your mistress, you wouldn't have gotten yourself into this mess."

Hua Er nodded. "Her Majesty would've awarded you respectfully for your honesty."

"It is such a shame... You all conspired against me, the Empress. This is punishable by death," I announced, then looking at Li Shu. "Execute them!"