Su Zhiruan died unexpectedly as an ordinary wage earner in the modern era and was bound to a Childbirth System. The system explained that the leaders of various planes, originally destined to have many descendants, had suffered from sterility due to having too strong an aura that made them incompatible with ordinary women. Her mission was to approach the sterile male protagonist in each small world and give birth to children to complete the tasks, with rewards increasing based on the number of children. She accepted without hesitation.She arrived in the Zichen Hall of a dynasty called the Dynasty. The Emperor, Shen Qi, had ascended the throne five years ago, and in that time no consort in the harem had become pregnant. The court was unstable, and the Empress Dowager was desperate for a grandchild. The Emperor had examined many famous physicians and found no physical problems, but no imperial heir appeared. Su Zhiruan’s identity was the daughter of a county town clerk whose family had fallen on hard times; she was selected as a palace maid and assigned to serve before the Emperor, sweeping and cleaning in the imperial study.She received a beginner's gift pack from the system: a painless constitution that reduced childbirth pain to that of an injection, an aftermath disappearance technique that restored her body completely after a period of rest, a gestation joy capsule that prevented morning sickness and figure distortion, and peerless beauty that kept her young and beautiful with no hair loss. These were permanent items in the small world.When she woke up, she was kneeling in the hall beside a small palace maid. The Emperor was furious, smashing a teacup and berating the concubines for their uselessness. The Empress Dowager dismissed the concubines, leaving only palace maids and eunuchs. Su Zhiruan remained kneeling with her head bowed, not daring to fidget.After everyone was dismissed, Su Zhiruan followed the other palace maids out. Another palace maid scolded her for looking around in Zichen Hall, but she did not recognize her—the plot only gave a simple summary. She learned from the system that her target was the Emperor and that she could decide how many children to have herself.On her way back to the imperial study, she encountered the Noble Consort, the Empress Dowager’s niece and the highest-ranking woman in the harem. The Noble Consort was jealous and domineering, and she immediately punished Su Zhiruan for not saluting properly. Su Zhiruan stated she was a sweeping palace maid serving before His Majesty. The Noble Consort’s head palace maid advised against striking her face in case the Emperor noticed, so the Noble Consort instead made her kneel with two other concubines for two hours—which turned into four hours under the scorching sun. There, she met Noble Lady Song and Noble Lady Wang, who gossiped about the harem: the Noble Consort bullied nearly everyone prettier than her, there were no offspring in the harem, and Prince Duan had sons but not the Emperor. When asked how many children the Emperor would have, Su Zhiruan guessed six or seven.After kneeling the full time, she limped back to the imperial study. She was hungry and in pain. She began wiping down the bookshelves. The Emperor, Shen Qi, noticed her limping and asked her name. She answered, “Su Su.” He found her appearance different from the heavily made-up women of the harem and felt a flicker of interest. He dismissed her and called for Chief Eunuch Xiao Fuzi, inquiring about her leg. Xiao Fuzi explained she had been punished by the Noble Consort. The Emperor did not pursue the matter, as the Noble Consort was the Empress Dowager’s niece and keeping her gave the Empress Dowager someone to talk to.Su Zhiruan returned to her small room and studied the system. The system confirmed its function was limited and mostly dormant. She decided to take things slowly, as her identity as a personal attendant kept her closer to the Emperor than a concubine.In the following days, she worked diligently, never slacking off, never trying to catch the Emperor’s eye like other young palace maids. Her behavior increased the goodwill of the wet nurse and chief eunuch, and the Emperor’s gaze lingered on her more often. The other palace maid who had scolded her earlier was demoted for being sly, while Su Zhiruan was kept serving before the Emperor.One night, the Empress Dowager visited the Emperor to pressure him about producing an heir. She told him it had been over a month since he had turned over a green tally stick, and the consorts were crying. She urged him to put more effort into visiting them. The Emperor felt helpless but could only agree. The Empress Dowager brought a pot of wine and several dishes, instructing him to eat and retire early.After the Empress Dowager left, Su Zhiruan silently arranged the dishes. The other palace maid and Xiao Fuzi left the bedchamber to organize memorials, leaving only Su Zhiruan and the Emperor alone. She stepped forward, poured a cup of wine into a glass that looked like glazed glass, and placed it before the young Emperor. The Emperor looked at her and said, “You don’t need to answer in a hurry. Drink this cup of wine first.”
