[She doesn't want to enter the palace. He wanted to find a partner, not a concubine, but a helper.
On the wedding night, Huan Ce sat at the table to review the memorial without even lifting his hijab. Qi Wangshu took off the phoenix crown himself: "What does Your Majesty need from my concubine?"
Huan Ce usurped the throne. No one in the court dared to mention the late emperor's bad debt, but everyone was watching to see if he could hold on to this chair. He needs a queen who has brains, skills, and no ambitions from her relatives, who can control the restless eyes of the harem for him.
Qi Wangshu is the only daughter of a doctor in the Ministry of War. She grew up in Sifangguan and could see the flaws in Xiliang's credential at the age of twelve. Her ideal is to be a non-staff staff member for the rest of her life, not to be a queen. But after the imperial edict came down, she couldn't help it.
"You help me stabilize the inner court, and I will give you a stage to display your ambitions. Everyone gets what they need."
"Then what can your Majesty give me?"
"Except for my trust, anything can be done."
There is no tenderness, just a naked transaction.
He taught her how to get a foothold in Bo Yun's treacherous harem, and she kept an eye on all the people who coveted the dragon throne for him. When he was on his way to the conquest, she managed the harem as well as an iron barrel. When she was pregnant, he replaced all the palace attendants in Jingyang Palace overnight.
Two people who never talk about feelings have walked side by side on the chessboard of power for more than ten years.
Until he died, he asked her: "In my life, I have trusted two people the most. One is you. The other is you."
She said: "I know this."
