As various countries announced ceasefire agreements, the people enjoyed rare peace.

Several countries engaged in trade, and the domestic economy flourished.

Jingfei wandered far and wide, occasionally rumors would spread of celestial maidens appearing somewhere.

Lifen was not always absent from home; she either went to school to teach children "physics and chemistry," or accompanied the Empress Dowager in private conversations.

Ningfei had also been gone for a long time. When she left, she pulled the Empress into a room and whispered to her for a long time, leaving behind a large box of treasures.

What exactly was inside, I still don't know to this day.

I disbanded the harem, leaving only the Empress by my side.

With the emperor setting such a good example, the citizens followed suit, which greatly pleased me.

One day, in a teahouse in the capital, I dressed casually and took the Empress out of the palace to investigate the people's sentiments.

There was a stack of novels on the tea table. I flipped through them, and the titles were particularly eye-catching.

"The Overbearing Prince Fell in Love with Me," "The Prime Minister's Sweet and Pampered Wife," "One Thousand and One Nights with the Merchant's Son"...

It was said that these were novels especially loved by women in the inner chambers nowadays.

No wonder more and more women were now pursuing the idea of a lifetime with one person. It's no surprise that this was all Qiqing's doing.

I glanced at the Empress opposite me, who was engrossed in reading a book.

I set the novels down and stood by the window.

Below, there were vendors coming and going, including the figures of women among them.

Across the street was a school, and the sound of reading could be heard clearly at this moment.

It was just time for the midday break. The children from the school poured out, either rushing home for lunch or lingering in front of the school for snacks.

There were only a few girls among them, but they all had confident smiles on their faces.

"Promoting women's education and involvement in politics needs to be gradually encouraged; it's not something to rush into." The Empress, who I didn't know when had stood beside me, softly reassured me.

I nodded slightly. With the increasingly improved system in place, people's inherent thoughts would slowly change.

I turned my head to look at the Empress, who now exuded dignity and composure. A mischievous thought crossed my mind after a long absence.

I grabbed her wrist and ran downstairs.

As the storyteller vividly described, "Sun Wukong raised his golden-banded cudgel and fiercely struck towards the woman. In an instant, the woman turned into a pile of white bones..."

I kept running, bringing her to the bustling market.

At that moment, her face was slightly flushed, breathing heavily, her lively appearance made me laugh.

Her face reddened even more, and she angrily chased after me.

In a daze, it felt like I had returned to the time of playfulness and mischief with her in our youth.

"Miss, come and see the miraculous elixirs and medicines I have here. One pill can cure all illnesses."

We stopped in front of a vendor's stall. The person wore a mysterious hat, obscuring their face.

I picked up a couple of pills and examined them carefully. This person was definitely a smooth-talking swindler.

Just as I was about to signal the guards to apprehend the person discreetly, a gust of wind blew, and the person lifted their head slightly.

The face revealed was exactly like mine, leaving me stunned in place.

A voice echoed in my mind:

"Congratulations, host, on completing the initial task. Unlocking the 'Eternal Emperor' system."

"The space-time rift is being repaired, progress 1%, 2%..."