After Entering The Abusive Novel, I Became The Empress - chapter 6

In the quiet lakeside pavilion, the breeze stirred the white beaded curtains. At some unknown moment, guards and eunuchs had silently surrounded the place.

“An excellent move.”
A deep, steady voice echoed through the pavilion. The guards released their grips on their sword hilts and withdrew into the shadows.

A flicker of approval crossed the Emperor’s eyes. The game of Go was the truest test of one’s mind, foresight, and grasp of the bigger picture. And at this moment, he saw what he wanted on the board before him.

Earlier today, troubled by the state of affairs, he had come here on a whim. The famine in the south was worsening with every report, despite repeated shipments of relief grain. At the same time, the northern front was under heavy pressure. Just like this game, the Great Yin dynasty was beset on all sides.

“But what if I strike here?” The Emperor, intent on testing her, set down a stone with a question.

Qin Yuqing studied the board, her mind turning rapidly. This was a dilemma—no dead end, but whether she advanced or retreated, stones would be lost.

Someone was destined to pay with their life.

She rolled the stone between her fingers. The board looked hopeless, yet in truth it was not. Necessary sacrifices could safeguard the whole. And if that was so, why not sacrifice a few insignificant pieces?

“Then what about placing it here?”

The Emperor’s gaze lifted in surprise. He had not expected a woman to show such daring and cunning. She had turned the besieged stones into bait, springing a trap—inviting the enemy into the urn. An ingenious strike.

Confidence curved Qin Yuqing’s lips as she extended a hand. “Please, Your Majesty.”

Only then did the Emperor study her carefully. Her brows and eyes bore a faint resemblance to his own. And here she was, in the harem. Could she be his child?

Yet if she were his, how had he never known? He would never have been blind to such a thing. Confusion rippled through his mind.

“To sacrifice the few for the many—well said.” A subtle smile tugged at his lips, though his tone carried the weight of imperial authority. “But on the battlefield, sacrifice itself can be the enemy’s design.”

He removed the stone from her fingers and set down another nearby. What should have been a pincer attack transformed with that single, unassuming stone—linking into a path of survival, the sole line of escape.

“My skill is lacking,” Qin Yuqing admitted openly. “The board is like the battlefield—yet every soldier’s life should not be treated as a wager.”

With that, she rose and bowed deeply to the Emperor, preparing to take her leave.

“Wait.” The Emperor gestured to a eunuch nearby. Qin Yuqing’s retreating figure stirred his memory. Once, long ago, another woman had stood before him, speaking to him in just this manner. But he was old now, and the details blurred.

“Who are you?”

Qin Yuqing turned, composed and respectful. She saluted and answered, “I am Qin Yuqing.”

The Emperor started. That name… familiar. Had he not once chosen the name Yuqing for his unborn child? By now, that child should be around eighteen.

The eunuch hurried forward and whispered in his ear, “This is Sixth Princess, born of Concubine Chen. Thirteen years ago, Concubine Chen passed away, leaving only this daughter.”

“Concubine Chen?” A ripple of shock and uncertainty surged in the Emperor’s chest. Was it because the child was Chen’s? Or because Chen was said to be dead?

He clearly remembered releasing her from the palace when the pregnancy was stable. If so, why was her child here? And why so pale and frail? What had happened all these years?

When he first met Chen, she had spoken in much the same way, once remarking that “gain and loss in Go, advance and retreat—this is the Way.” If not for her being a woman, if not for her yearning for freedom, if not for the court’s scorn, she might have become a minister of the realm. If so, perhaps the Great Yin would not be in its current plight.

“Qing’er, come here.” The Emperor rose and held out his hand. “It is your father’s fault. You have suffered all these years.”

Relief washed over Qin Yuqing’s heart. Before coming, she had feared that if there were enmity between the Emperor and Concubine Chen, approaching him would mean ruin. Yet if she did not, she would have no way to survive in the harem.

“Greetings, Father. You speak too heavily.” Qin Yuqing bowed again. “Mother once told me: Father is a wise ruler. A wise ruler must devote himself to the people, not be mired in the inner court.”

It was a phrase Concubine Chen had once spoken to the original girl—and the very reason Qin Yuqing had dared to gamble on approaching the Emperor. With a consort who thought like this, how could he have been indifferent to his child? Something unknown must have intervened.

“Your daughter was presumptuous just now. I beg Father’s forgiveness.”

The Emperor shook his head slightly, his gaze drifting once more to the board. Suddenly, he recalled the morning court. Ministers had presented their solutions to the famine, but none had pleased him. Even the crown prince, whom he had raised from childhood, offered only weak measures.

Not one man in the court had given him an answer worth considering. And the future of the realm weighed heavily upon him.

He would grow old. The empire could not go leaderless even for a day.

“Qing’er,” he said after a pause, “I have a question. The famine in the south grows worse. Despite shipments of grain, there is no improvement. What would you do?”

Qin Yuqing blinked, startled. For him to ask her this was an unexpected gift. She tilted her head, thought carefully, and answered with solemnity, “Father, this is but your daughter’s shallow view. If I am wrong, please correct me.”

“Speak freely. This is not the court.”

“The root cause, I believe, Father already knows. If grain does not reach the common people’s hands, then no matter how generously Father gives, no matter how much aid is sent, the people will not remember Father’s benevolence. They will only ask: why must we pay taxes? Why are our sufferings unseen?”

“Go on.” The Emperor’s eyes deepened. Her words struck directly at his hidden fears. He did not fear an empty treasury—he feared the people starving. Yet as emperor, he could not leave the capital to oversee the shipments himself, especially with the northern war raging.

“Ultimately, corruption festers unchecked. From court to local officials, relief grain and silver are siphoned away layer by layer. By the time it reaches the people, almost nothing remains.”

“Yet with war in the north, to replace swathes of officials now would shake the foundations of the realm. Great Yin cannot bear such risk. Rash action would be perilous.” Her gaze dropped to the stone the Emperor had placed earlier. “But Father already has the solution, does he not?”

“Just like that unassuming stone—it forged a path to life through clever placement. Father must find such a man.” She described carefully, “Someone all in the capital believe cold and heartless, yet who is truly loyal. A family whose every move Father can see clearly. A house of little standing among great clans—perhaps because their heir is crude, eccentric, or crippled. But above all, loyalty is what matters—not blind obedience.”

The Emperor studied her in earnest. Be it the game or her reasoning, this daughter of Concubine Chen displayed more foresight and acumen than many of his other children. A rare talent indeed.

Just then, Qin Yuqing’s stomach rumbled loudly, and a flush crept over her cheeks.

The Emperor’s heart stirred with pity. Such wit and brilliance, yet she had been left to languish in obscurity, unacknowledged in the harem. Some within the palace had grown far too bold, to have concealed this from him.

He wished to say more, but a eunuch stepped forward and reminded him, “Your Majesty, it grows late. The birthday banquet for the Fourth and Fifth Princesses should begin.”

The Emperor took Qin Yuqing’s hand. “Come. Father will see you fed well.” Then he turned to the eunuch and ordered, “Move Sixth Princess’s seat beside mine.”

The eunuch bowed and hurried off.

“Do you see now? This is the seat I wanted.” Qin Yuqing murmured inwardly to the system.

“Everything is only beginning.”

In the palace hall, all awaited eagerly. The hour had nearly arrived, yet the Emperor was absent—and beside his throne, another seat had been placed. When questioned, the eunuch gave only a curt reply:

“This is for the Sixth Princess.”

A storm of whispers broke out. Who was this Sixth Princess? Why had no one ever seen her before?

Qin Youran lowered her eyes, fingertips stroking the rim of her fine wine cup, jealousy surging within. She had labored for eighteen years to reach her place. Why should that useless child of a low-ranked consort suddenly sit beside the Emperor?

And then there was Qin Qinqin, conveniently “weary” from her stay at the National Master’s Tower, choosing to appear later so that all eyes would turn to her. After tonight, when she and Qin Qinqin moved out of the palace, many things would become far more inconvenient.

Qin Youran’s nails dug into her palms until bl00d welled, yet she noticed nothing.

Just then, Qin Yuqing entered with the Emperor and took her place at his side. She felt the probing gazes upon her, like invisible needles.

“Father,” Qin Youran stepped forward, smiling sweetly, taking Qin Yuqing’s hand. “What a lovely sister. Who might she be?”

Had Qin Yuqing not possessed the original girl’s memories, she would almost have doubted her eyes. For this sister, once so cold and distant, now greeted her with such warmth.

“This is your Sixth Sister, Qin Yuqing,” the Emperor announced. “She has been frail since birth, and has lived in a temple until today, when she finally returned to the palace.”

Then he turned and extended his hand. “Come, Qing’er, sit beside Father.”

With a composed smile, Qin Yuqing withdrew her hand from Qin Youran’s grasp. In a low voice, she said, “Fifth Sister, did you foresee this today?”

Ignoring Qin Youran’s reaction, she walked unhurriedly to her seat by the Emperor’s side. Her gaze swept the banquet hall.

And this time, in the eyes that met hers, she saw something new—wariness.

Perfect. Just the effect she wanted.