The first thing Yi Xuanmo did after taking the reins of power was banish his empress, Wen Yunsheng, to the Cold Palace.
Wen Yunsheng couldn’t make heads or tails of it. “What did I do to offend him?”
The discarded concubines in the Cold Palace chimed in: “He must have a new favorite and found his original empress an eyesore.”
Wen Yunsheng took their advice to heart and asked, “I was wrongly deposed, and I can’t accept it. How should I get back at that dog emperor?”
The discarded concubines offered a plan: “First, let your heart turn to ashes over him.”
Wen Yunsheng erased seven years of marital affection from her mind.
“Then request permission to leave the palace.”
Wen Yunsheng wrote her own decree of deposition.
“Once you leave the palace, find yourself a fine, impressive man.”
Wen Yunsheng went through all the men she knew, one by one.
“Years later, build a wonderful life with him, a thousand or ten thousand times better than your life as empress. Then make a triumphant return and leave that dog emperor heartbroken and full of regret.”
Wen Yunsheng saw the light. “Thank you, sisters. I’ve got it.”
The discarded concubines nodded in satisfaction. “We’ll be waiting for good news, then.”
Many years later, a new emperor ascended the throne and hosted a banquet at Weiyang Palace. The discarded concubines from the Cold Palace were also granted the honor of attending.
When they saw Wen Yunsheng dressed in a dragon robe, their brains nearly short-circuited.
Wen Yunsheng pointed to the chancellor, general, and strategist among the guests. “Look, these are my fine men.”
Then she pointed to the dragon robe she was wearing. “I made my triumphant return, and my life is ten thousand times better than it was as empress.”
Finally, she pointed across the room to the memorial tablet of the deposed emperor. “If Yi, now a commoner, has any awareness in the underworld, he must be heartbroken and full of regret right about now.”
She summed up: “I owe everything I’ve achieved to the lessons you sisters taught me.”
The discarded concubines: ...
What on earth did you learn in the Cold Palace, Your Majesty?!
Theme: Your fate should be in your own hands
She Should've Just Taken the Imperial Exam from the Start
My Mom Has Been in the Palace for Fifteen Years
A Jewelry Tycoon Across the Planes [Villainess]
The Winery Heir Is Still Worrying Himself Sick Over Scotland Today
My Years as a Lawyer in the Demon Realm
A Fallen Princess's Guide to Nation-Building
A Necromancer Has Something to Say [Western Fantasy]
Wasn't I His Majesty's White Moonlight?