Your Majesty, please do not disturb, the empress only wants to engage in business

Chapter 157 Asking for Grace

Shen Qingyin really wanted to say she didn’t know.

As the Queen Mother, don't you know your own son? Is your son a good person by nature? Two days ago, he finally mentioned Concubine Qi in front of me, and even added the weight of being pregnant, but what was the result? He just stayed with Concubine Qi for one night and then left.

Now you ask her if she knows... Don't you know that what your son hates most is that the people in the harem are watching his movements?
Keeping an eye on the emperor's whereabouts every day is a huge sin even for the queen. If her son knew about it, he might become displeased with her as the queen and accuse her of spying on the emperor. She would not be able to bear it.

"I am guilty, but I don't know. I am busy with the affairs of the harem today and I really have no time to worry about the emperor's affairs. But I think that the imperial concubine has always served the emperor very well, so there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

"If there really is a problem, can you and I still sit here and talk peacefully? I am not saying anything bad about you. The reason why I chose you as the princess was because you came from a scholarly family and could persuade the emperor to do things that the emperor should do. But look at you now. The emperor has always favored you. Not to mention that it would be fine if the imperial concubine could have a child, but the imperial concubine has been pregnant for so long and there is no movement. The most important thing for the royal family is to have children, so that the country can last for thousands of years and have people from generation to generation. But you let the emperor take care of the imperial concubine's work of having children. Do you want the concubines to pray to the gods and Buddhas for a child to fall out of thin air?"

In fact, the Queen Mother was not unaware that her words were a bit difficult to deal with, but if she didn't use these words to make things difficult for the Queen, she would have to keep them to herself. She really didn't want to make herself feel uncomfortable. When the Emperor had just ascended the throne, she didn't take this matter very seriously. But after a whole year, there was only one more child in the harem, and it was not known whether it was a boy or a girl. How could she not be anxious as a mother?

The eldest prince is already so old. If the future children are too different from the eldest prince, it is inevitable that there will be conflicts between the brothers. These are the things that need most attention in the harem. The queen is not very alert to these things, so it is up to her, the queen mother, to be vigilant on her behalf!

Naturally, Shen Qingyin had a lot of grievances in her heart that she couldn't express.

Not to mention which concubine the emperor summons to sleep with him, the concubines have no say in whether they can make the decision. Even if the concubines really can make the decision, do they have to give up the favor that is at their fingertips? Concubine Rong is a person who has been accustomed to being favored all these years. The emperor favors her, so what can she, the queen, do?
Besides, the empress dowager is becoming more and more unreasonable as she gets older. I'm afraid that in the eyes of the empress dowager, even if her son is extremely wrong, it is not her son's fault, but the woman around the emperor is at fault.

Now, she couldn't say this to the imperial concubine in person, so she could only blame herself, the innocent queen, in a false tone. Throughout the thousands of years in China, every incompetent monarch had a woman by his side to share their sins, and there were countless cases where the blame for the country's destruction was even put on women. Although the queen was somewhat dissatisfied with the imperial concubine, at this moment she didn't really think that the problem lay with her.

Besides, the emperor didn’t go into the harem that often. Having just ascended the throne, Xie Yun’an still wanted to maintain his reputation as a wise ruler, so he was usually quite diligent in state affairs. It was just that he went into the harem and slept in Chengqian Palace for the past two days. What was the big deal?

Although Shen Qingyin didn't know that the imperial concubine was unable to have children now, but seeing that the imperial concubine had been in the harem for so many years without any movement in her belly, it was conceivable that the imperial concubine's body might not be suitable for childbearing. But the emperor was still willing to pamper her. What else could she do?
Besides, who in the harem is not alive?
At her age, she could not give birth to another son to inherit the throne. Since it was not her son who inherited the throne, as the legitimate mother, no matter which concubine in the harem gave birth to a child who had this honor, her position would be stable. Why should she worry about this? It was a pity that although everyone understood this truth, it could not be said openly. The queen mother looked at Shen Qingyin's humble appearance, but she could not get rid of the anger in her heart. She simply let it go and could only scold her in the end.

"It has happened in every dynasty that a concubine has been favored. As the emperor's empress, you should give more advice on this matter. I will hand this matter over to you today. You have to share my worries. Remember, don't just focus on your reputation of being virtuous and generous. If you fail to fulfill your duties, I will be the first one to not forgive you."

"Yes," Shen Qingyin felt that the words she said were a little out of tune, and they sounded weird: "I will follow the teachings of my mother."

……

After being annoyed for a while in the Cining Palace, Shen Qingyin did not express her upset until the banquet began. She could only endure it, sitting at the banquet with a fake smile, wearing gorgeous clothes and accepting kowtows from concubines and ladies from both the inner and outer courts. It sounded like an honor and glory, but it was really tiring.

The empress dowager meant for her to establish her authority and not let the imperial concubine think that she, as the queen, was easy to control. Otherwise, the concubines under her would follow suit and she would have no power left in the harem. But in fact, there was no need for her to compete with the imperial concubine for supremacy. People in the harem had already praised the queen's reputation for virtue, and their family clearly did not follow the path of combining kindness with severity. Now the empress dowager came here to give orders, which was really annoying.

Then she heard the imperial concubine toasting the emperor in public, making a disgusting sound in her throat.

"I see that many of the sisters in the harem are young. Once they enter the palace, they will be separated from their families and it will be difficult for them to see each other. Sister Qi is so lucky. In two months, her family will be able to enter the palace to see her. I beg the emperor for mercy. During the New Year, why not allow my mother to enter the palace to see her!"

This request was a bit presumptuous. After all, concubines were strictly prohibited from contacting their families privately in the harem. However, if it were to be based on common sense, not allowing people to meet was indeed a bit inappropriate. Now with so many court officials and their families sitting below, Xie Yun'an felt that the eyes of the concubines around him were all focused on him at once. There was no calculation in their eyes, but full of expectation and pleading.

After all, they are just a group of young girls who were separated from their families when they were young. Now the imperial concubine has specifically asked for a chance to meet them. Who would hope not to see them?