I changed the world.

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Today, Puji Palace is heavily guarded. A sign reading "No visitors today" has been hung outside the main gate. Guards dressed in black stand watch at the main entrance, keeping a watchful eye on passersby.

In addition, further away, there were some burly men dressed in plain clothes, pretending to be tourists, who were loitering around. However, their eyes were not on the scenic spots at all, but on the passers-by.

Some tourists who came to offer incense, upon seeing such a scene, basically turned around and left without saying a word. As ordinary citizens of the capital, these people were perceptive and knew that there must be a distinguished person here, so there was no need to go in and invite bad luck.

Chapter 381 The Empress

Although Puji Palace is nominally the royal family's private temple, it is open to outsiders during normal times. Generally, it closes to receive royal guests from the 25th to the 30th of each month. Those in the know are aware that the current Empress is accustomed to visiting Puji Palace to offer incense at the end of each month.

Empress Wang Shujie was not from a noble family, but from a commoner family in the capital. Her ancestors for three generations were ordinary citizens living in the capital, not even the lowest-ranking nobles.

In fact, this was also a common practice of the Zhao royal family. It was said to be a legacy left by the founding emperor that the empress was always chosen from a respectable family of humble origins. This was also to guard against the precedent of the former emperors and concubines interfering in politics by relying on the power of their maternal families.

In fact, in modern times, this approach of the Zhao royal family has inadvertently catered to some emerging civil rights consciousness. The empress, who came from humble origins, has always been regarded by the general public as someone closer to them than other members of the royal family, someone "one of their own."

The royal family was pleased with this public opinion environment, and the Empress herself consciously cultivated an image of being "approachable," "compassionate," "charitable," and "compassionate towards the poor and needy" in various settings. Coupled with consistent media promotion and public relations efforts, the current Empress, in the eyes of the people, truly deserves the title of "Empress of the Nation." Even the poorest people living in slums speak of the Empress with almost no complaints, mostly with respect.

In this era where royal news is often followed by major media outlets, it is almost common knowledge that the Empress visits Puji Palace at the end of each month to pray for her family and the common people. Especially in the capital, where people live in the most virtuous place under the emperor's nose, even those who do not care about politics can say things like: "The current Empress is a devout follower of Taoism, kind-hearted, and goes to Puji Palace to pray for blessings every month..."

Within the inner court, almost everyone knew that the Empress was a person who valued "rules." Although she seemed somewhat old-fashioned, this style was highly praised by many elders of the royal family, given her humble origins.