Wumian ughed out loud. "Your Majesty always looks so serious—"

  "Hmm?" Ying Qionglou gnced at her.

  "So very serious," Wumian reined in her ughter and raised her teacup. But unlike Ying Qionglou’s pin tea, hers was a delicate floral blend she had specially asked the maids to prepare.

  "What has the Empress been doing tely?" Ying Qionglou asked casually.

  "The same as always. Nothing special," Wumian replied lightly. "But I’ve yet to congratute Your Majesty. Li Fei’s pregnancy is quite the joyous event."

  "Hmm." Ying Qionglou nodded. "Li Fei has always been a bit willful. I suppose it’s my fault for indulging her over the years. If she speaks out of turn because of her pregnancy, I hope the Empress won’t take it to heart—just think of her as childish and let her be."

  Wumian was speechless.

  So speechless, in fact, that she really said nothing.

  Ying Qionglou gnced at her. "What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

  "Your Majesty is always right," Wumian replied with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "The fault is mine. I’ve always appeared to Your Majesty as an unremarkable Empress—so much so that a simple congratution leads Your Majesty to think so many things."

  "Forget it. It’s getting te. Time to eat," Wumian stood up, not giving him the chance to expin.

  Ying Qionglou frowned but said nothing.

  He wondered why the Empress had suddenly brought up Li Fei. What else could it be but dissatisfaction? It wasn’t like her to mention Li Fei without a reason.

  He suspected she was displeased.

  But seeing how she didn’t pursue the topic, he let it drop as well.

  After the meal, Wumian said calmly, "I’m feeling unwell tonight. I fear I won’t be able to attend to Your Majesty."

  This time, Ying Qionglou understood very clearly—she was upset.

  Still, he didn’t press her. He only nodded and said, "Then rest early. Have the imperial physicians take a look at you tomorrow."

  It was a transparent excuse—she’d been ughing and pying on the swing just before dusk, full of energy. And now she cimed she wasn’t feeling well?

  But fine. The Empress was still young. If she wanted to be temperamental now and then, so be it. He had indeed been tactless earlier.

  As he left Fengyi Pace, Ying Qionglou paused. "Where is that Lin Shi who used to follow the Empress?"

  Lin Baolin… he vaguely recalled her, but not clearly.

  "She’s been moved to Yanyue Pavilion. It’s not far from Fengyi Pace," Lu Zhong replied.

  "Then let’s go see her," Ying Qionglou said.

  Meanwhile, back at Fengyi Pace, Wumian had just finished washing her face and was applying moisturizer when Jinbo came to report, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has gone to Yanyue Pavilion."

  Wumian smiled faintly. "I see."

  She thought to herself that the way men thought these days… well, it wasn’t exactly wrong, just that their thinking never seemed to align with hers.

  The Emperor had clearly realized that he’d said something inappropriate st night, and to "comfort" the Empress, he had gone to visit Lin Baolin?

  That was undoubtedly how the Emperor saw it.

  Because in the Emperor’s eyes—or rather, in the eyes of most men in this era—a low-ranked woman was no different from an object.

  To Emperor Ying Qionglou, Lin Baolin wasn’t an independent person in her own right. She had been cssified as one of the Empress’s people. So, if the Empress was upset, the Emperor's visit to Lin Baolin was considered a form of appeasement.

  It wasn’t that he looked down on Lin Baolin specifically; it was simply that low-ranked consorts were not worth mentioning.

  If one day Lin Baolin managed to climb high enough, perhaps earning the title of Meiren, at least, the Emperor might spare her some dignity. But clearly, that day hadn’t come yet.

  Wumian shook her head lightly, not caring much about the matter.

  From the perspective of how things work nowadays, this was actually a good thing for her.At least the Emperor hadn’t simply left without a word—he was still mindful of whether she was angry.

  However, Wumian herself found it hard to be moved by such "comfort." She could only accept it as something beneficial, nothing more.

  And that wasn’t all—by the next morning, news came that Lin Baolin had been promoted.

  Not by one rank, but by two. She was now a Cairen.

  Lin Cairen came early to pay her respects—earlier than anyone else.

  Wumian sat before her dressing table as Lin Cairen knelt down. "Your Majesty’s favor in promoting me is a kindness I will never forget."

  "Rise. From now on, you are Cairen," Wumian said. "When you reach Meiren, I’ll have them arrange a rger residence for you."

  "Thank you, Your Majesty." Lin Cairen hesitated for a moment, then asked quietly, "Your Majesty… have you prepared any medicinal tonics?"

  What an honest child, Wumian thought.

  "I look forward to you bearing a royal heir," Wumian replied calmly. "As for tonics, there’s no need to mention it again."

  Lin Cairen was visibly delighted. She had been in the pace for nearly four years—this was the first true promotion she’d received.

  That initial promotion from Yunu to Baolin didn’t count; after all, unless something unusual happened, every woman who served the Emperor in bed for the first time would be promoted.

  But this time, this promotion was real.

  Below the rank of the Nine Consort, every step was a hurdle.

  Ranks below sixth grade didn’t even count. Being appointed Cairen, a proper sixth-grade title, was the first true status.

  Only by reaching fifth grade could one even qualify to attend certain pace banquets.

  Even if Emperor Ying Qionglou was considered generous, it was extremely difficult for the neglected women to receive promotions—simply because the Emperor never thought of them.

  So how could Lin Cairen not be happy? Her annual stipend alone had increased significantly.

  Everyone who heard the news took it as a clear message from the Emperor: this was for the Empress.

  They didn’t know why the Emperor had gone from Fengyi Pace to Yanyue Pavilion st night, but they assumed it was because the Empress wasn’t well enough to attend to him, so he had sent one of her people in her pce.

  It aligned perfectly with Wumian’s earlier jest: what’s given freely isn’t as good as what’s offered up by others.

  If she had deliberately recommended Lin Shi, the Emperor might have reluctantly agreed to visit, but would never have granted a promotion.

  But because he’d imagined it himself, Lin Shi ended up earning herself a title.

  From Wumian’s perspective, it would be hard for Lin Cairen to ever become favored, but slowly climbing the ranks wasn’t impossible.

  When everyone gathered for morning greetings, they all congratuted Lin Cairen.

  "Come to think of it, Lin Cairen and I entered the pace in the same year," Jiang Zhaorong commented. "She’s never competed for favor, always quiet and obedient. It’s only right she’s been promoted."

  Indeed, their batch of pace dies had turned out vastly different from one another.

  "Yes, Lin Cairen has always been gentle. She deserves her new title," Zhang Meiren added with a smile.

  "Thank you, elder sisters, for your praise." Lin Cairen smiled shyly.

  Wumian watched them for a while before saying lightly, "Even as the Empress, I must admit—the harem is full of women, but how many can regurly enjoy the Emperor’s favor, let alone bear princes and princesses? But those who follow the rules, who serve for many years without incident, they too deserve to be promoted. All of you needn’t worry."

  "Many thanks, Your Majesty," the group replied.

  There were indeed some who took her words to heart, such as Yang Jieyu and Zhang Meiren.Both were older, unlikely to win favor again, and could only hope for promotions based on seniority.

  And if the Empress really intended to arrange such promotions, who wouldn’t want to follow her lead?

  At any rate, following the Empress’s rules would never be wrong.

  The morning greetings ended early, as there was nothing pressing today and not everyone was present.

  As usual, Guifei and Rong Fei left together.

  "Her Majesty really has become quite calcuting," Rong Fei said with a snort. "His Majesty actually listened to her and promoted a nobody like Lin Cairen."

  "That’s the Empress for you," Guifei sighed. "As long as she sits in that seat, she will always have this power."