Empirically means “by testing, watching, or trying in real life, not by theory alone.” It is the adverb that belongs with empirical. Writers often park it next to a verb: tested empirically, shown empirically, known empirically. In a science paper it sounds normal; in the night market it would sound stiff. A friend would just say “we actually tried it” or “that’s what we saw.” Though actually, some people use it as a heavy way to say “in practice,” even when nobody ran a careful test — the tidy dictionary wants a real check, and talk is sloppier. Still not about emperors.