But she wasn't. She was from the 21st century.
Her aesthetic preferences hadn't changed because of the other person's status.
She also liked beautiful young men, for example, Yi Zhixie.
However, now, out of necessity, she had to wed a dark, ugly, obese man.
This truly made her feel incredibly stifled.
At this very moment, an incredibly bold idea suddenly flashed through Lin Xiaowei's mind.
Why couldn't she, like Empress Wu, ascend the throne and declare herself Emperor?
At that time, wouldn't the whole world be hers?
Wouldn't all the beautiful young men in Great Chu be at her beck and call?
The instant this thought appeared, Lin Xiaowei's breathing suddenly quickened, and her cheeks became even more flushed.
Lin Xiaowei's reaction was interpreted by Sima Zhu as a result of his compliments.
Thus, Sima Zhu no longer played the role of a gentleman.
In any case, Lin Xiaowei was already his. What was there to wait for now?
He reached out and drew the bed curtains, and Sima Zhu eagerly pushed Lin Xiaowei onto the bed.
"Xiaowei, Xiaowei..."
Sima Zhu kept calling Lin Xiaowei's name while his hands roamed all over her body.
Lin Xiaowei, driven by the idea in her heart, began to plan even more boldly.
After she had roughly formulated her plan, she began to respond to Sima Zhu.
Although he was a disgusting, obese man, for the sake of her future, she was willing to endure it.
The many concubines in Sima Zhu's harem had all been educated in the virtues of obedience at home, so when it came to intimacy, not only did they not respond, but they were all shy and dared not open their eyes.
Before ascending the throne, Sima Zhu had frequented pleasure houses, but after ascending, he had no opportunity to leave the palace, and secondly, he truly cherished his life, fearing illness from unsanitary places, so he was exceedingly self-preserving.
Lin Xiaowei's current response made Sima Zhu's heart overflow with joy.
"Xiaowei, my Xiaowei, you are truly a little vixen, my little vixen..."
Sima Zhu murmured inwardly while his hands became even more swift.
In a short while, he had stripped Lin Xiaowei completely.
Just as he was about to undress himself, he saw Lin Xiaowei sit up halfway, pouting, and say, "Your Majesty is too unfair. You stripped Xiaowei completely, but you haven't undressed yourself."
Saying that, she used her small hands to tear at Sima Zhu's clothes, saying, "Xiaowei also wants to strip Your Majesty's clothes."
With that, she increased the intensity of her actions, and indeed, in a short while, she had stripped Sima Zhu clean.
Sima Zhu had never seen such a bold woman, and he found it even more amusing.
Although he wanted to play with Lin Xiaowei for a while longer, his body could no longer wait. So, he pushed Lin Xiaowei down and pressed himself onto her.
Lin Xiaowei felt the sudden foreign intrusion, and her eyebrows furrowed, as if in pain.
Seeing this, Sima Zhu kissed her brow and whispered, "Xiaowei, don't be afraid."
Lin Xiaowei's smiling face turned a little pale, but she still opened her eyes and smiled at Sima Zhu, "Your Majesty, Xiaowei is not afraid."
Then, a spring romance ensued.
Time flew by, and it was the next morning. Lin Xiaowei woke up with her whole body aching.
As soon as Lin Xiaowei opened her eyes, she saw Sima Zhu holding her and sleeping soundly. Before she could speak, Wang Lin's voice came from outside, "Your Majesty, it's time to get up."
Upon hearing Wang Lin's voice, Sima Zhu immediately opened his eyes.
After a moment of confusion upon opening his eyes, his gaze quickly became sharp.
Lin Xiaowei naturally noticed the change in Sima Zhu and increased her assessment of his capabilities.
He was already an ugly and fat man, but that momentary transformation made her realize that he was indeed an Emperor, an Emperor who had reigned for several years.
Regardless, one must not underestimate someone who had been an Emperor for years.
With a whirl of thoughts, she said, "Your Majesty, Xiaowei will help you change."
Her voice was delicate, her brows slightly furrowed, and coupled with her pale smile, it was evident that she was unwell.
Yet, precisely because of this, even when feeling unwell, she did not forget her duties, which made Sima Zhu regard her even more highly.
Seeing her pale and tired look, Sima Zhu was reminded of her active cooperation and a thought stirred within him. He said, "Xiaowei, you should rest well. There is no Empress now, and you don't need to perform the grand ceremony. Just sleep well. When I return from the morning court, I will come back and have breakfast with you."
Hearing Sima Zhu say this, Lin Xiaowei was truly flattered, at least, her expression showed as much.
However, she said, "Your Majesty, this is perhaps not appropriate. Although there is no Empress now, there are still high-ranking concubines. If Xiaowei does not go to perform the ceremony, won't it give rise to gossip? And people will say that Your Majesty favors Xiaowei too much, thus calling Xiaowei a woman who brings ruin to the country and its people. Wouldn't Xiaowei rather die? Xiaowei does not fear death, but if she cannot accompany Your Majesty in the future, just thinking about it makes Xiaowei feel immensely sad."
As Lin Xiaowei spoke, her eyes welled up with tears, and she appeared incredibly distressed, making her look even more pitiable and charming.
Sima Zhu felt comforted. In fact, he hadn't asked Lin Xiaowei to perform the ceremony earlier because he had intended to test her. Although he wouldn't blame her if she truly refused, it would still leave a slight rift in his heart.
Now that Lin Xiaowei was willing to go, he felt very reassured.
"Fine, if Xiaowei is willing to go, then go. However, don't rush. If anyone dares to make things difficult for you, it's as good as opposing me. Therefore, you have nothing to fear. I will ask Wang Lin to accompany you later." Sima Zhu said, patting Lin Xiaowei's hand and caressing it, his mind becoming somewhat restless.
Although Lin Xiaowei's skin wasn't the best among all his concubines, her figure and touch possessed a unique magic.
It captivated him and kept him endlessly engrossed.
When Lin Xiaowei heard Sima Zhu say he would ask Wang Lin to accompany her, she was truly surprised.
Wang Lin rarely left Sima Zhu's side, especially when it came to attending court. This was a symbol of Wang Lin's status.
If Wang Lin were truly to forgo attending court with Sima Zhu today and accompany her to pay respects, even if Wang Lin didn't show it on the surface, he would surely resent her in his heart.
Since ancient times, the chief eunuch beside the Emperor had always held significant power.
Lin Xiaowei wouldn't be foolish enough to offend someone before she had won them over to her side.
Therefore, Lin Xiaowei shook her head and said, "Your Majesty, if I truly bring Eunuch Wang with me, it might make people think I am overindulged. Moreover, Eunuch Wang is Your Majesty's right-hand man. How can I suddenly take him away? I heard that Eunuch Wang has a clever young disciple. Why not let him accompany me?"
Sima Zhu nodded upon hearing this. The reason he had said that was to demonstrate his regard for Lin Xiaowei.
Now that he saw Lin Xiaowei was so sensible and understood the complexities of the situation, he became even more intrigued and interested in her.
This was completely unlike the thoughts and ways of a young girl. For the first time, Sima Zhu became more interested in Lin Xiaowei.
He wondered what kind of family could raise someone as sharp and astute as Lin Xiaowei.
Wang Lin had been standing outside the door, waiting for Sima Zhu to summon someone to serve. After half an hour of no summons, he slowed his breathing and cautiously approached the door, listening for sounds from within.
When he heard Sima Zhu say he should accompany Lin Xiaowei to pay her respects, Wang Lin naturally felt annoyed.
Even his prior good impression of Lin Xiaowei was almost entirely gone.
However, soon after, he heard Lin Xiaowei's gentle voice, directly refusing.
At this, Wang Lin's heart settled, and his impression of Lin Xiaowei improved further.
After all, if he had truly accompanied Lin Xiaowei, the concubines would not only not dare to provoke her but would also treat her with deference, given his status as the Emperor's foremost attendant.
But Lin Xiaowei, without a second thought, refused and instead asked his disciple Xiao Maozi to accompany her.
This inadvertently did Wang Lin a favor.
Although Wang Lin had thought his disciple Xiao Maozi was clever and sweet-mouthed when he took him on as a disciple years ago, over time, he found Xiao Maozi to be too obsequious, praising people of all ranks indiscriminately.
If it weren't for his own forbearance, he would have long since fallen out with Xiao Maozi.
That situation would have been no good for him, especially with the Emperor also taking an interest in Xiao Maozi.
If not for his extraordinary abilities and his years of companionship with the Emperor, he probably would have been the one to leave the Emperor's side in the end.
Now that Lin Xiaowei had blocked Xiao Maozi's potential for further advancement, how could Wang Lin possibly have any complaints against Lin Xiaowei?
However, with the time for the morning court fast approaching and the Emperor still not summoning anyone, Wang Lin began to feel anxious.
Could it be that the Emperor would be so caught up in the warmth of the boudoir that he would neglect his morning court from now on?
Just as Wang Lin was lost in thought, Sima Zhu's slightly lazy and satisfied voice finally came from the room, summoning him in.
Wang Lin found it strange but still opened the door and entered.
Upon entering, he was surprised.
He saw that Sima Zhu and Lin Xiaowei had already dressed and tidied their hair. The only thing left was probably to put on their crowns.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Wang Lin knelt before Sima Zhu, his face beaming with joy.
Sima Zhu nodded and said, "Go, call your young disciple, Xiao Maozi, and have him accompany Lady Lin to pay respects to Consort He. Ensure Lady Lin's safety, do you understand?"
Wang Lin prostrated himself on the ground and said loudly, "Your servant understands. Your servant will go now."
With that, Wang Lin hurried out, and in a short while, he returned with a boy of seventeen or eighteen behind him.
The boy was handsome and delicate, looking like an innocent child.
Lin Xiaowei stared at the boy blankly for a moment, then snapped back to reality.
Even if he was good-looking, he was still just a eunuch.
"Noble Lady, this is my disciple, named Xiao Maozi. Although he is young, he is the most alert and will surely serve the Noble Lady well."
Wang Lin's words were not false. If this Xiao Maozi weren't clever, Wang Lin wouldn't have taken him as a disciple.