Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Xiahou Che sulked all night.

The next day, after Yan Zhen got up, he found the little wooden bird under the eaves of the hall.

The wooden bird's wings were broken off, and it lay there all alone, silently bearing witness to the dissatisfaction of its previous owner.

-

More than half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

After a month of mourning, the late emperor was finally buried.

The funeral was held with great solemnity. The late emperor's body was buried in the imperial mausoleum, signifying the end of the Jin Dynasty era. The late emperor's concubines in the harem had to be moved to the remote West Palace and become "Dowager Consorts".

Moving the palace was no small matter, and the entire harem was shrouded in gloom and despair. In this heavy atmosphere, Yan Zhen went to Yongchun Palace.

The palace servants of Yongchun Palace were packing up their belongings. Yan Zhen walked in. The once popular Yongchun Palace was now deserted. Most of the palace maids and eunuchs who served him had left, leaving only a few loyal ones.

The Imperial Concubine—now known as the Imperial Dowager Concubine—sat on a chaise longue, her face bare of makeup, lost in thought.

A palace maid announced, "Her Majesty the Empress has arrived." Only then did the Noble Consort come to her senses. Upon seeing Yan Zhen, she stood up and forced a smile, saying, "Your Majesty... Empress."

"Your Majesty," Yan Zhen frowned and said, "you may call me Lingyi as usual."

"This is against the rules."

Yan Zhen pulled her to sit down on the daybed: "You know, I don't care about those empty formalities."

The Imperial Concubine remained silent.

Yan Zhen glanced around the hall, his brows furrowing even deeper: "Where have all the people who usually serve me gone?"

The Noble Consort sighed softly: "We won't need so many servants at the West Palace. I've dismissed them all."

Although the Noble Consort said so, Yan Zhen knew very well that the most common thing in the palace was to follow the powerful and back the weak. Most of those who left were those who saw that there was no future or profit in following the outdated Noble Consort, so they hurriedly sought other places.

People leave and things cool down; Yan Zhen doesn't believe that the Noble Consort doesn't care at all.

That's exactly why she came today.

"Your Majesty, would you be willing to stay in Yongchun Palace and help me manage the six palaces?"

The Imperial Concubine was taken aback: "This... is against etiquette."

She was neither the current emperor's mother nor the empress dowager; to Xiahou Che, she was at most a senior relative.

This small favor was not enough to make her an "exception" and allow her to remain in Yongchun Palace to continue enjoying her privileges.

Moreover, she is the mother of the former crown prince, and Xiao Lingyi had such a well-known relationship with the former crown prince. If the current emperor minds, Xiao Lingyi will be caught in the middle, which will put her in a difficult position.

“Just tell me whether you’re willing or not, and I’ll handle the rest,” Yan Zhen said sincerely. “As you know, I’ve been running around outside the palace and with the Agriculture and Sericulture Bureau for the past few years, so I know very little about the affairs of the inner palace.”

"Now that there are fewer people in the harem, things are a bit easier. However, Your Majesty will need to add new concubines and organize palace banquets for festivals, all of which I know nothing about. If you could stay and give me some pointers, I would be extremely grateful."

The Imperial Concubine remained silent, her face full of hesitation.

Yan Zhen held her hand and lowered his voice: "Your Majesty, I know that after Brother Jin passed away, you lost interest in power and wealth. All these years you have been forcibly managing the six palaces, only for the sake of your maternal family after your death."

Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, a major reshuffle is inevitable in all departments of the court. If you were to retire to the West Palace at this time, wouldn't your six years of perseverance have been in vain? Even if not for your own sake, for the sake of your maternal relatives, you must stay.”

Yan Zhen's words moved the Noble Consort. After hesitating for a long time, she finally nodded and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Having persuaded the Noble Consort, Yan Zhen breathed a sigh of relief when he left Yongchun Palace.

She had no interest in the harem, nor did she have time to compete with the women Xiahou Che would later bring into the harem. So someone had to handle these trivial matters for her.

The Imperial Concubine Gui was undoubtedly the best candidate.

Yan Zhen was about to go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to find Xiahou Che and tell him about letting the Noble Consort stay in Yongchun Palace to assist in managing the six palaces when Yang Pei rushed over: "Your Majesty the Empress, Your Majesty the Empress... Greetings to Your Majesty the Empress!"

Yang Pei, panting heavily, rushed to Yan Zhen and hurriedly bowed, saying, "You should go to the Imperial Study quickly; His Majesty has lost his temper again."

"what happened?"

Despite saying that, Yan Zhen immediately took action and followed Yang Pei toward the Imperial Study.

From Yang Pei, Yan Zhen learned that Xiahou Che had disagreements with the cabinet ministers on political matters, and that they had argued in front of all the ministers in the Fengtian Hall two days ago.

After court today, Xiahou Che got into another argument with Grand Secretary Zhang in the Imperial Study. In a fit of rage, he said he would cut off Grand Secretary Zhang's head.

"His Majesty has imprisoned Grand Secretary Zhang. Grand Secretary Zhang is a veteran of three reigns and is over seventy years old. How could he endure such a place as the imperial prison? Several ministers pleaded for him, but they were either beaten or demoted."

As Yang Pei spoke, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, "Your Majesty, only you can persuade His Majesty right now."

Yan Zhen frowned upon hearing this and quickened his pace toward the Imperial Study.

She had just arrived at the Imperial Study and hadn't even stepped inside when a memorial flew towards her, nearly hitting her in the face.

Inside the Imperial Study, all the imperial eunuchs were kneeling on the ground, heads bowed and trembling. The floor was covered with traces of Xiahou Che's vandalism, while the instigator stood with his hands on his hips, his back to the palace gate, venting his anger.

Hearing someone enter, Xiahou Che didn't turn around and roared, "Get out! All of you get out! Or I'll chop you down..."

His words caught in his throat the moment he turned around and saw Yan Zhen: "Why are you here?"

Yan Zhen stepped into the imperial study, but instead of speaking, he gave Yang Pei a wink.

Yang Pei understood and quickly dismissed all the palace servants from the imperial study, then closed the door behind him.

Only Yan Zhen and Xiahou Che remained in the Imperial Study.

"What happened? Why are you so angry?" Yan Zhen asked.

Xiahou Che walked around the imperial desk and stood in front of Yan Zhen, changing the subject: "It's nothing serious... Did that bastard Yang Pei invite you here? What's the big deal? He dares to make a scene in front of you. I think he's got some nerve!"

"Don't change the subject." Yan Zhen wasn't buying it. "What could possibly be so serious that you'd go to such lengths, fighting and killing?"

Seeing that he could no longer fool them, Xiahou Che finally explained the whole story.

The disagreement wasn't a major issue; the root of the problem lay in Xiahou Che's weak connections in the palace and his humble origins. Several cabinet ministers who "supported orthodoxy" were dissatisfied with him and, relying on their seniority, openly and covertly challenged his authority.

Xiahou Che was not known for his good temper, and after being provoked two or three times, he decided to imprison Zhang Ge Lao as a warning to others.

"Kill that Zhang fellow, and let's see who dares to oppose me again!" Xiahou Che said angrily. "Anyone who dares to offend me again will suffer the same fate as Grand Secretary Zhang!"

After listening, Yan Zhen said helplessly, "It was wrong of Grand Secretary Zhang to provoke you first, but if you kill him because of this, people will not investigate the details. They will only think that you have no tolerance and leave people with the impression of a tyrant. Who will dare to tell the truth in front of you in the future?"

If this continues, all that will remain around you are sycophants, petty people who only know how to say nice things to please you. How can this world be governed then?