Her Majesty The Empress Has Made Her Debut In The Center Position [Ancient to Modern] - Chapter 5

Fifteen minutes later, Ji Zhao and Yu Cheng settled into seats at a nearby restaurant.

The Debut! Girl production team didn’t exactly go all out this time. They reportedly rented the estate at a below-market price through a connection with one of the trainees.

The towering estate gates were intricately carved, and beyond them stretched neatly trimmed lawns. The pattern on the left gate read “Debut!”, while the right gate bore the words “Girl.” In the center, a musical fountain danced to the ear-piercing theme song, adding a discordant note to the otherwise idyllic scene.

After over a month of renovations, the various villas had been converted into dormitories, practice rooms, and small utility spaces. Class A received the best accommodations.

The long dining table could seat nearly fifty people, but despite the late afternoon hour, only a handful of trainees had come to eat. They sat scattered in small groups of two or three.

Ji Zhao occupied the head of the table, while Yu Cheng sat to the side.

For the buffet-style lunch, Ji Zhao wasn’t particularly hungry and opted for a coffee and a sandwich. As she stirred her coffee with a golden petal spoon, she felt Yu Cheng’s complex gaze. Pausing, she looked up. “What is it?”

Yu Cheng lowered her eyes. “Your Majesty has changed. You used to hate taking medicine the most.”

“Medicine? Who said this is medicine?” Ji Zhao rested her chin in her hand, scrutinizing her former Grand General. “Yu Cheng, don’t tell me you’ve learned nothing in the two days you’ve been here.”

“I’ve learned.”

“What have you learned?”

“…The stage.”

Ji Zhao was momentarily stunned, then burst out laughing. “Is that all you’ve learned?”

Yu Cheng frowned. “It’s very difficult.”

Ji Zhao picked up her cup. “But you’ve learned it well.”
Her eyes lit up with amusement. “If I’d known you possessed such talent, Esteemed Minister Yu, I never would have sent you to the border to fight. What a waste of your talent! You could have become a household name in the capital by now.”

The Great Qi Dynasty was prosperous and peaceful, and its entertainment industry thrived. The most famous actors commanded sold-out performances, their fans lining up like cattle.

“Your Majesty…”

“Stop!” Ji Zhao set down her cup, tapping her finger on the table. “I summoned you here to make this clear: from now on, at least while you’re here, you’re not to address me as ‘Your Majesty’.”

“This is an Imperial Decree!”

Yu Cheng was speechless.

Ji Zhao leaned back. “Call me by my name.”

“…Ji Zhao.”

“Doesn’t that sound too formal?” Ji Zhao pondered. “Call me Zhaozhao.”

What kind of propriety is this?

Yu Cheng wanted to protest, to argue with Ji Zhao about hierarchy and etiquette. But Ji Zhao had the Imperial Decree on her side. Refusal would be defiance of the decree—a charge Yu Cheng couldn’t afford to bear.

Reluctantly, she called out, “Zhaozhao.”

The corners of Ji Zhao’s lips curved slightly. “Good girl.”

Yu Cheng lowered her gaze.

She looked genuinely obedient.

But Ji Zhao knew her reluctance and soothed her. “Privately, you can address me as usual.”

Yu Cheng’s tension instantly eased.

Having temporarily placated her, Ji Zhao continued issuing instructions. “Look at me.”

Yu Cheng raised her head.
Ji Zhao nodded in satisfaction. “Right. I grant you permission to look at me like this from now on. Here, we are equals. I am not your Emperor, and you are not my subject. We are both… what was it? Oh, trainees.”

“Understood?” she asked Yu Cheng.

Yu Cheng was silent for a moment. “Let’s withdraw from the competition.”

Ji Zhao was taken aback. “Hm?”

Yu Cheng clenched her fists, her gaze resolute. “How can someone of your status participate in such a humiliating spectacle? If we withdraw, we’ll surely find a way back!”

Ji Zhao sighed. “Don’t you understand yet?”

Yu Cheng paused. “What?”

“It would be great if I could go back, but what if I can’t? This is my life now,” Ji Zhao said, absentmindedly stirring her now-cooled coffee with a spoon. “The owner of this body had no parents and wasn’t favored by anyone. My only path is to pursue a career in entertainment, and my only chance at turning things around is to climb to the very top.”

Yu Cheng blurted out, “My family is rich! It’s all yours!”

Ji Zhao looked at her silently, saying nothing.

Yu Cheng’s gaze faltered. “It’s… I misspoke.”

As the Empress of the Great Qi Dynasty, Ji Zhao had been named Crown Princess at age seven and ascended the throne at thirteen to rule the realm. With the support of the Chancellor, she had purged the court of corruption and earned the love of the people. How could she possibly need Yu Cheng’s help?

“Yu Cheng,” Ji Zhao’s tone softened. “There’s another reason. The owner of this body’s greatest dream was to become a star. I want to fulfill that dream for her… and for my own peace of mind.”

Yu Cheng nodded. “I’ll be by your side.”

“By the way,” Ji Zhao asked, “what was your original owner’s greatest dream?”

Ji Zhao had asked casually, but Yu Cheng’s face flushed visibly. She narrowed her eyes slightly, lifted her cup, and was about to ask again when Yu Cheng suddenly reached out and stopped her.

Ji Zhao was caught off guard. “Huh?”

Yu Cheng said earnestly, “I need to test it for poison.”

Ji Zhao’s temper flared, but remembering she’d just promised Yu Cheng freedom and equality, she barely managed to restrain herself, her voice still carrying a hint of gritted teeth. “Nobody’s trying to assassinate me.”

“Better safe than sorry,” Yu Cheng insisted. “Everyone here is a potential adversary.”

Ji Zhao laughed in exasperation. “Even you?”

Yu Cheng took the cup from her. “I’ll always be loyal to you.”

Ji Zhao dismissed her. “Suit yourself.”

Yu Cheng took a sip of the coffee. True to her reputation as a seasoned Grand General, she showed no sign of discomfort. After finishing, she waited a moment before placing the cup back in front of Ji Zhao. “It’s fine.”

She then asked for a dagger.

The slender dagger spun between her fingers as she deftly sliced the sandwich. She placed the knife on the plate, took a small bite, and her expression changed.

Ji Zhao sipped her coffee. “What’s wrong? Poison?”

Yu Cheng forced down the food in her mouth and shook her head. “…It’s just so unpalatable.”

Ji Zhao burst into laughter.

She nodded toward the buffet. “Don’t just sit there. Go grab something to eat. You can catch up on sleep after you’ve eaten.” She took a bite of her sandwich. “I’ll have an egg.”

Yu Cheng insisted on testing every dish for poison, and Ji Zhao let her do as she pleased, asking about the details of Yu Cheng’s arrival in this world as she ate.

It was said that on the night of the Seven Stars Alignment, Yu Cheng had been formulating military plans with her subordinates in the commander’s tent. Afterward, she stepped outside to gaze at the stars—seven aligned in a straight line, a spectacular sight that drew countless soldiers. Suddenly remembering she hadn’t yet sent word to Ji Zhao, she hurried back to the tent to draft a memorial to Di An.
Just as she lifted her brush to inquire about Di An, golden light flashed before her eyes. She instinctively reached for her sword but found nothing. The next moment, she was back in her bedroom in the Yu Family residence.

Ji Zhao pondered for a moment. “Is that truly what happened?”

Yu Cheng’s eyes flickered for a moment before she lowered her gaze. “Not a single word of it was a lie.”

“Don’t you find it awfully coincidental?” Ji Zhao asked, taking a bite of egg as she pondered. “Just two people who look exactly like us, with the same names. Could this be reincarnation?”

“If it is reincarnation, then who was in these bodies before we arrived?” Yu Cheng asked.

Ji Zhao shook her head. “Continue.”

Yu Cheng used her dagger to pick out kernels of corn and place them in a small bowl. She set the bowl in front of Ji Zhao before continuing. “I thought I was dreaming, or that it was some enemy’s trick. But after examining things carefully, I realized this wasn’t our original world. This world…”

This world was truly wondrous.

Lights glowed without burning, warmth radiated without fire, people could see each other face-to-face across thousands of miles, and travel was no longer by carriage, but by four-wheeled boxes that moved hundreds of times faster than horses.

Yu Cheng said, “This Yu Cheng comes from a wealthy family, but her abilities are truly lacking. If it weren’t for the foundation of my previous skills still remaining in my body, I would have ended up in the lowest class during last night’s Initial Evaluation.”

“You mean your Lightness Skill foundation is still intact?”

“It is.”

“It seems we brought more than just our memories through the transmigration. The knowledge we acquired in our previous lives seems to have come with us too,” Ji Zhao mused, her mind racing. “We need to research and study more. Since we’ve come to this era, we have to learn its ways.”

“We should study history too,” she added.

Ji Zhao finished her last sip of coffee, the bitterness lingering on her tongue. She met Yu Cheng’s gaze. “I want to know if our dynasty ever existed in this world.”
Yu Cheng hummed in agreement. “I believe it’s closely tied to the Seven Stars Alignment.”

Ji Zhao casually popped a corn kernel into her mouth, resting her chin in her hand. “Researching here is surprisingly convenient. You know about smartphones and tablets, right?”

Yu Cheng nodded. “I have them.”

Though she still struggled to use them—she’d even mistaken them for monsters at first and slashed two with her sword, making the Yu Family think she’d gone mad in her sleep.

Better not mention this to His Majesty.

Such was the way of a loyal subject.

Unfazed by Yu Cheng’s troubled expression, Ji Zhao continued. “They can access the internet and help us find what we need. I’ve been searching a lot these past few days, but it’s been difficult with Pei Jia constantly around.”

Pei Jia.

Yu Cheng was about to ask, “Who is she?”

Ji Zhao hummed in confusion. “She’s from my company. Don’t you have colleagues too? That Tong Wei… did you… did your former owner have a bad relationship with them?”

“It was indeed strained.”

Yu Cheng had gotten into the company through connections, lacking both talent and foundation. Yet she acted so arrogant, making her unpopular among the trainees who had joined through normal channels. Tong Wei often bullied her, though she didn’t dare escalate openly.

Ji Zhao was puzzled. “Then why is she targeting me?”

As they chatted and ate, the conversation flowed slowly, mirroring their unhurried meal. Gradually, the rested trainees trickled down to the dining hall. As if summoned, Tong Wei and her group arrived first.

Since filming hadn’t officially begun, the production team hadn’t set up cameras yet. Tong Wei dropped her act immediately, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Some people got F’s in every class at the company, yet they somehow made it into Class A for the competition. You really can’t deny the perks of having connections—she’s being fast-tracked to Class A despite her terrible skills.”

“Exactly!” someone chimed in. “How shameless to steal the Center Position’s limelight!”
The implications were too obvious. Trainees seated throughout the hall turned their gazes toward Yu Cheng. Unfazed, Yu Cheng quietly peeled an egg, the pristine white shell separating perfectly from the yolk, which she halved and pushed toward Ji Zhao.

Ji Zhao let out a soft burp. “Are you trying to choke me?”

Yu Cheng persisted. “It’s nutritious.”

Their oblivious behavior, ignoring the mocking gazes, drew countless prying eyes toward Tong Wei. Tong Wei stamped her foot in frustration. Her teammate tried to console her. “So what if someone got into Class A now? They’ll definitely drop to Class F during the reevaluation!”

Tong Wei snorted.

“Are you implying the teacher’s evaluation criteria are flawed?” Ji Zhao suddenly interjected.

She lifted her gaze, her slightly narrowed eyes hiding turbulent emotions beneath a calm facade. “If someone can steal the limelight from the Center Position, it means they don’t deserve to be there. If you believe the teacher’s criteria are incorrect, I can ask when the teacher comes to our class.”

Leaning back, she crossed her legs and pursed her thin lips. “What do you say?”

Tong Wei’s expression stiffened.

She was startled to find her body trembling involuntarily as she stared at Ji Zhao in disbelief. Ji Zhao remained calm and composed, sitting small in her chair, her naturally smiling lips framed by faint dimples. Yet Tong Wei felt a bone-deep fear.

“Zhaozhao, why didn’t you call me down for breakfast?” Pei Jia’s voice shattered the deathly silence in the dining hall. She rushed down the spiral staircase in her nightgown. “What’s going on with you two?”

Ji Zhao casually picked up a piece of cake that Yu Cheng had already cut. “What?”

“Zhaozhao?” Yu Cheng murmured.

Pei Jia clicked her tongue. “Why aren’t you two feeding each other?”

Ji Zhao blinked, puzzled.

Yu Cheng replied, “My rank isn’t high enough.”

“Rank isn’t high enough?” Pei Jia sat down beside her. “You want an S-rank?”
Yu Cheng shook her head.

In the Great Qi Dynasty, feeding someone was a deeply intimate act, reserved only for affectionate couples.

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