After Discovering The Emperor Was A Woman… - Chapter 11

Hearing this, Liu Yucheng and Xie Danxue both froze.

They exchanged a look, then hurriedly pulled Liu Jiuning into their arms and began speaking over one another.

“My poor, ill-fated Ning’er!”

“If you want to cry, then cry. We’re the only family here. There’s no need to hold it in.”

“Go ahead and cry. Don’t smile like that and frighten your parents.”

“You’ve only just begun to recover. You mustn’t keep your feelings bottled up.”

…

Listening to one tragic remark after another, Liu Jiuning hurriedly waved her hands and interrupted them.

“No, no! I’m genuinely happy! Please stop crying!”

Even a sheltered young lady like her knew that in recent years, the court officials had been pressuring the emperor relentlessly over the vacant position of empress and the lack of an heir.

Now that the emperor had named her empress, it meant her life would be spared for the time being.

After all, the position had remained empty for far too long. Delaying any further would be inappropriate. According to certain long-standing rules, the emperor was also expected to spend the first and fifteenth nights of every lunar month in the empress’s chambers.

Seen that way, who could be more suitable for the role than Liu Jiuning, the person who had accidentally discovered the emperor’s true sex?

Her analysis was perfectly clear.

As long as she cooperated with the emperor, played the part of a loving wife, and kept her mouth firmly shut, her life would surely be safe.

As for losing her freedom after entering the palace…

Freedom was precious, but life was even more valuable!

There would be no shortage of food, drink, or entertainment in the palace. Could it possibly be worse than living in seclusion at a nunnery?

And since the emperor was famously “uninterested in women,” the imperial palace might actually be an excellent place for Liu Jiuning!

With that thought, she carefully searched her memories of the novel from her previous life.

The emperor did seem to have an empress.

The character had received very little attention, possessed almost no presence in the story, and appeared only a handful of times.

So Liu Jiuning had no way of knowing whether that empress had also been named “Liu Jiuning.”

But no matter what, an empress had certainly existed. And nowhere in the entire novel had there been any major event involving the empress’s death.

That meant she must have lived safely until the end of the story.

Obtaining such a secure identity—one that was neither cannon fodder nor insignificant and stood at the very height of power—did not seem bad at all.

The longer Liu Jiuning thought about it, the more foolishly she smiled.

“Someone, come quickly! Imperial Physician Qin, examine Ning’er!”

“She must be delirious!”

“Little Jiuning? Little Jiuning, can you hear Father?”

…

After a burst of chaos in the room, Liu Jiuning could only stop smiling and silently stare at her parents, the female physicians, and the maids crowding around the bed.

She truly was fine.

She was simply too happy.

Unfortunately, no one believed her explanation that she was “genuinely delighted.”

After hearing Liu Yucheng and Xie Danxue’s panicked account, even the female physicians could not help looking at her with sympathy.

The poor young lady had been frightened into such a state.

…

What else could Liu Jiuning do?

She could only insist, “I’m not sick,” while drinking the calming decoction the physician forcefully pressed into her hands.

It was hardly the first time she had drunk the stuff.

After reluctantly swallowing a few mouthfuls, she lay alone in the quiet room and secretly rejoiced.

Entering the emperor’s harem might be the same as stepping one foot into a graveyard. Becoming empress merely meant securing a burial plot with better feng shui.

But whether it was arsenic or honey could only be known after tasting it.

Alas, everyone else was drunk while she alone remained sober.

News that Ninth Young Miss had been badly frightened and was possibly suffering from delirium quickly spread throughout the Liu household. Then, as though it had grown wings, it flew into the grand residences of every powerful family in the capital.

The noble clans could not help pitying the still-ill Liu Jiuning.

How had such a young girl managed to catch the emperor’s “eye”?

The emperor’s reputation for avoiding women had become far too deeply rooted.

It was not that they had deliberately made her seem monstrous. The emperor’s behavior truly was impossible to describe politely.

The common people, however, knew none of the truth and looked favorably on the touching marriage between the emperor and the future empress, who had supposedly remained devoted to each other through illness.

As for Ninth Young Miss Liu laughing after learning that she would marry the emperor in three months?

She must have been overcome with joy!

Such sincere affection.

May Heaven never separate these two lovers, and may Ninth Young Miss recover soon.

None of the commotion outside reached Liu Jiuning, who remained secluded while recovering.

With nothing left to worry about, she was in an excellent mood. Filled with anticipation for her wonderful future, she even drank her medicine more decisively, and plain porridge with simple vegetables tasted delicious.

After recuperating for nearly half a month, she could not only get out of bed but even walk a few steps outside.

Had the female physicians not forbidden strenuous activity, she would have gladly jogged several laps around the courtyard.

The moment her health improved, the Empress Dowager quickly summoned her.

There was no way to postpone it.

The elderly palace matron hired by the Liu family had not even begun giving Liu Jiuning emergency lessons in court etiquette before the pale-faced eunuch arrived to escort her into the palace.

Truthfully, Liu Jiuning remained uneasy.

Even with the title of future empress protecting her, there was no guarantee the Empress Dowager would not act against her after learning the truth.

Death was still the best way to keep a secret.

Liu Jiuning could only gamble.

She gambled that the emperor had not told the Empress Dowager the details of what had happened.

And she gambled that even if the Empress Dowager knew, she also wanted Liu Jiuning to serve as this so-called empress.

Fortunately, Liu Jiuning won.

The Empress Dowager, who had devoted herself to Buddhist worship for many years, looked at her calmly.

Knowing that Liu Jiuning and the Imperial Preceptor were unlikely friends despite their age difference, she spoke with her mostly about Buddhist teachings.

The Empress Dowager had always been in poor health. After speaking for only a short while, she began to tire.

She summoned attendants and ordered them to escort Liu Jiuning out of the palace.

Before Liu Jiuning left, the Empress Dowager added, “There is little more I can say regarding the emperor. Whether this brings you joy or sorrow, as long as you follow the emperor’s wishes, you should be able to live peacefully.”

That advice could not have been more direct.

Liu Jiuning understood instantly and nodded as obediently as the Moon Rabbit pounding medicine.

All she wanted was to live a peaceful little life.

She would absolutely, unquestionably follow the emperor’s wishes!

After receiving a large collection of gifts, Liu Jiuning walked silently through the enormous palace alongside the maids and eunuchs.

The sun was blazing, and her clothes were thick. Even with a palace maid holding a parasol over her, her head began to feel light.

As she continued walking, she gradually drifted off course.

That alone might not have mattered, but she happened to reach a corner at the same time. In a moment of distraction, a figure suddenly appeared before her.

Even though she tried her best to avoid the person, she still collided with them head-on.

Li Nanchu frowned.

With lightning-fast reflexes, she stepped back twice, her expression turning cold as she prepared to reprimand the offender.

Then she saw Liu Jiuning’s pale face.

Remembering that the girl had apparently been ill ever since returning from Anchang Temple, Li Nanchu realized that such a fall might endanger her life.

Reluctantly, she extended one leg and caught Liu Jiuning neatly around the slender waist, saving her from crashing heavily to the ground.