I played dumb and came to help him with grinding ink. I teased, “It is all for your reputation. I came here and made you a suggestion. You could take it if you wanted and I would be even happier if you didn’t.

Qi Sheng stopped and looked at me. After a while he suddenly told me, “I wanted to make Hao’er crown prince.”

I was really shocked at hearing this and replied without hesitation, “No, we shouldn’t be talking about this now.”

Qi Sheng inspected me and asked, “Is it a truth or lie?”

I wanted to move him so I answered solemnly, “You have been a crown prince for more than a decade and you know how it feels to be a crown prince. If a crown princess is the most difficult job in the world, then the crown prince will be the second most difficult one. So why bring Hao’er this kind of suffering?”

Qi Sheng raised his brows, “So you think it is more difficult to be a crown princess than a crown prince?”

Qi Sheng always missed my point and I was used to it. I ignored him and continued, “Your Majesty is still young and healthy. As long as you can keep some distance from alcohol and lust, have a healthy schedule and less worries, I believe you will certainly surpass your fortieth or fiftieth birthday”

Maybe my words made sense this time, so Qi Sheng slowly nodded.

Then I continued, “If you make Hao’er the crown prince, then he’ll had to be a crown prince until he’s forty or fifty. Have you ever seen a crown prince who’s made it?”

Qi Sheng looked at me in silence.

“He is too young now, and we don’t know what kind of person he will grow into or whether he’s capable of shouldering this world.” I paused and lowered my eyes, then I continued, “You are still young and you will have a lot more sons. Maybe you will prefer one of them to Hao’er. So what will you do if that is the case? And what do you expect Hao’er to do?”

Qi Sheng still remained silent. I didn’t look at him. I had no idea what he was thinking now so I could only try to guess. Then I said in a low voice, “There are so many cases of murders between fathers and sons or between siblings in the imperial family. I have already witnessed it in the first half of my life and I don’t want to see it again in the latter half of it.”

After a long time, Qi Sheng sighed and replied, “I know.”

As expected, Qi Hao’s one-year birthday was luxurious but no one mentioned about the crown prince. A few days later, when I went to Da Ming Palace, I found something rather odd.

Jiang shi, who was always there no matter how the wind blew or rain splashed outside, who had been there for months, was not there anymore.

The inner-palace servant approached me and reverently bent down. He whispered to me, “His Majesty sent her away and I don’t know where she is now.”

This news shocked me, and I couldn’t help but ask, “What happened? Why did he send her away? Will she ever return?”

The inner-palace servant carefully studied my facial expression and said to me, “I don’t know what happened. Maybe Your Majesty can ask His Majesty?”

I ask him? On what ground? Jiang shi wasn’t an official member of the harem and I didn’t pay her salary. And what should I ask? Should I ask whether Jiang shi was taking a temporary leave or a permanent one? Or should I pay her compensation? Or should I keep paying insurance for her in the future?

The inner-palace servant still looked at me with the corner of his eyes. I randomly nodded but when I saw Qi Sheng, I pretended that I knew nothing and mentioned none of it.

Qi Sheng didn’t mention it as well, and he only told me, “When Hao’er grows up, he shouldn’t be surrounded by women. Starting from tomorrow, you should bring him here every day and I’ll teach him myself.”

I agreed with Qi Sheng that “education should start with young kids”, but I didn’t quite approve his method. All kids went to kindergarten after the age of three, and how was he supposed to teach a one-year old baby to study politics every day?

I didn’t know whether to cry or to laugh, but he made it sound so serious and it didn’t sound like a joke, so I had to nod.

The next day, Qi Sheng sent the inner-palace servant to Xing Sheng Palace to urge me. I had no other way but to head to Da Ming Palace with Qi Hao in my arms.

When Qi Sheng was meeting the officials, I listened behind the screen with the baby in my arms. And when he was reading the documents, I waited beside him with the baby in my arms as well.

At first, Qi Hao was not yet familiar with surroundings and was well-behaved, and sat himself in my arms. And several days later, he refused to sit quietly in my arms. He struggled to get on the ground, and staggered towards the other side of the screen.

Qi Sheng was listening to the brief from officials of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue, and I certainly dare not let him out. So I dragged him back by the collar. However, it brought me a huge trouble. Qi Hao stared at me for a while, aggrievedly pursed his lips and cried out loud.

I could not stop his crying no matter how I tried and I was so desperate that I was drenched in sweat, wishing to cover his mouth with my own hand. Just then, Qi Sheng came from the other side of the screen, took him from me, and put him in the laps and comforted him gently. In the meanwhile, he asked the minister of the Ministry of Revenue to continue his briefing.

Then it turned to Qi Sheng meeting officials in front of the screen with the baby in his arms, and I listening attentively behind the screen. For the first couple of times, the officials were a bit shocked by the scene, but then they gradually got used to it.

Several months passing, I didn’t know if Qi Hao had learnt anything, but I was already adept in some government affairs. Sometimes Qi Sheng got tired and asked me to read the documents for him. Though I wasn’t always right about punctuation, Qi Sheng could understand most of it then told me his replies with his eyes closed.

Then I used the writing brush to scribble them down on the paper, and put it in the documents and Qi Sheng would have a look by himself. He went silent for a long while when he saw my writing for the first time. Then he pointed to the paper and asked me, without any expression displayed on his face, “What are you writing?”

I didn’t know whether he was mocking my terrible writing, or he couldn’t read simplified characters. I thought for a while and then answered, “These are called simplified characters, a simplified version of the traditional characters you are writing now. Don’t you think it is easier to learn?”

Qi Sheng attentively looked at what I had written, showing no expression of his opinion. But he told me, “Stop writing this in the future. You’ll be in trouble if someone else sees it.”

I nodded, but the next time I still unconsciously wrote down simplified characters.

Qi Sheng got mad when the same situation happened for several more times. He stopped lying on the soft bed, approaching me and supervising me by himself.

I stood there with writing brush in my hand. Ink dripping down from the brush, I still couldn’t write a single character.

Qi Sheng stared at me with the corner of his eyes and asked, “What’s wrong?”

I started to sweat and mumble. Embarrassed, I answered, “I don’t know how to write it.”

Qi Sheng was confused, “You don’t know what?”

I wiped my sweat and answered, “Traditional characters. I’ve never learnt about it so I don’t know how to write.”

Qi Sheng looked at me, puzzled, “You knew it when you read it for me.”

I answered, “They looked familiar, so I guessed. I knew half part of the character!”

Qi Sheng was rendered speechless.

Ever since then, there was one more job for me. When Qi Sheng was working on the documents, I would be standing besides, practicing calligraphy. Then I spent most of my day in Da Ming Palace. Sometimes when Qi Sheng was caught up in government affairs, I had to work overtime till midnight with him, then I would have to stay the night in Da Ming Palace.

I reasoned, now I was the manager of the harem, and in the meantime, I worked as a secretary and an assistant, sometimes I had to sleep with him… I was indeed multifunctional.

I was so tired that I started missing Jiang shi. She was indeed a diligent girl with dream and pursuit. If she was still in Da Ming Palace, then Qi Sheng wouldn’t exploit me like I was a cow.

In the fifth lunar month, documents from Jiangbei suddenly increased in volume, most of which came from the army. I kind of felt that it was time for Qi Sheng to attack the Northern Desert.

One day when I worked late with him, and did some extra workout in bed with him. I caught him off guard, “I want to return to Xing Sheng Palace.”

Qi Sheng was still panting, and asked me after a while, “Why?”

I covered my chest with thin sheet and straightened up to look at him, “I am the Empress so I have to manage the harem. How come I stay in the imperial court every day? Yesterday, Concubine Huang and Concubine Li had a fight over two sheets of cloth, and they wanted me to do them justice but was stopped outside Da Ming Palace. Then they cried and turned to the Empress Dowager, by then were they finally able to get it settled.

Qi Sheng tilted his head aside, looking at me quietly. I bravely met his gaze.

A while later, I couldn’t help but laugh. I nudged him with my hands, and smiled, “Why are you looking at me like that? It was so dark here. I couldn’t even see your eyes and it will be a waste if you wink at me.

Qi Sheng smiled as well and pulled me towards his chest. His chest was broad and strong, trembling because of the laugh. A while later the trembling stopped. Another while later, he said in a low voice, “I’m going to attack the Northern Desert. This is the last wish of Emperor Cheng.

I couldn’t help but turn stiff. My heart was pounding fast in my chest. To avoid being made, I held against his chest with my hands, separated our bodies that were previously pressed together. I asked him in my hoarse voice, “You want to lead the army by yourself?”

Qi Sheng didn’t say a word, but placed his palm on my back.

My heart was pounding thunderously, but I didn’t dare to move an inch, so I let his warm and dry hand stay at where it was a thin layer of flesh away from my heart.

At the dark, I saw the corner of his mouth raised, then he slowly told me, “Don’t worry. If I don’t make it back, then ascend Hao’er to the throne. And you’ll be the Empress Dowager just as you wished.”