Three years after ascending the throne, Li Jingheng did something that shook the entire court: he appointed Shen Zhaoning as his male empress.
When the imperial edict was issued, the ministers knelt in protest and refused to rise, while the eight families behind the eight consorts in the harem jointly submitted a memorial. But Li Jingheng was set on his decision. No matter who tried to dissuade him, he gave the same answer: “I decide who my empress is.”
After Shen Zhaoning took up residence in the central palace, he kept the harem running so smoothly that not a drop could spill. He investigated embezzlement, audited the accounts, and enforced palace rules, rewarding and punishing fairly. Even the Noble Consort dared not act out of line. Everyone thought the male empress was a formidable figure, but Li Jingheng knew he simply didn’t want to distract him.
After setting aside the reviewed memorials, Shen Zhaoning looked up. “Your Majesty, you dote on me so much. Aren’t you afraid people will say I’m meddling in state affairs?”
Li Jingheng leaned down and put an arm around him. “I dote on you because I want you to stand with more confidence than anyone else at my side. If anyone dares say a word, I’ll send him to guard the imperial tombs.”
From the day he appointed him empress, the noble clans never stopped using open and covert tactics against them. But so what? He wanted him as his empress, and more than that, as the one person in all the world who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him. The realm as his betrothal gift, a lifetime as their promise: he would never regret it.
