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

Paying respects at Kunning Palace is a routine matter and doesn't last long.

Shen Qingyin didn't particularly enjoy receiving compliments from everyone up there. After all, she was still young, just like the emperor, in her prime, and not yet at an age where she could be completely idle.

When Shen Qingyin first moved from the Prince's Mansion to the inner palace, she did experience some novelty when receiving audiences from the six palaces.

After all, although there were such morning and evening greetings in the palace in the past, the status inside and outside the palace was different. Sitting on the phoenix chair, which symbolized the mother of the country, one's vanity was especially satisfied.

However, as time goes by, even the newest things will eventually become tiresome.

Someone like Shen Qingyin, who has a slightly cold personality, gets tired of these things even faster. Perhaps even she herself can't say for sure what she wants, but what she doesn't like is quite obvious to her.

On one hand, she had to deal with the duties of an empress, and on the other hand, she had to deal with the imperial concubines and handle the various disputes and jealousies among the other concubines. All of this was already a headache.

Not to mention the complex affairs within the inner palace. Even though most matters could be handled by the subordinates and the Imperial Household Department, there were always some things that required approval and were reported to Kunning Palace every day.

This resulted in the fact that although the Empress appeared to be resting throughout the day, she actually didn't have much real rest time.

Aside from eating, sleeping, worshipping Buddha, accompanying the emperor, and receiving daily greetings from the concubines, the small gate of Kunning Palace was always bustling with eunuchs and palace maids from all over.

If a master of a household has an emergency that needs to be addressed, whether a minor ailment like a headache or fever should be treated with leave, which palace needs approval for what funds, and whether rare items should be stored in the treasury or handled with silver—these are almost all decisions that the Empress must make.

Not to mention the ordinary concubines who would visit randomly on weekdays—they had no chance to see the emperor, the court and the harem were separate, and they had no opportunity to go out and look for him, but the empress was always in the harem.

Even if she wasn't in Kunning Palace, one could easily find Shen Qingyin's location with a little inquiry. As long as Shen Qingyin wasn't by the Emperor's side or paying respects to the Empress Dowager, she was an ordinary concubine who could request an audience.

Dealing with one or two people is manageable, but when there are many subordinates, especially when they come frequently, it can become a real headache.

Sometimes, when she couldn't bear it anymore, Shen Qingyin would think that if she were to relinquish her position as Empress, she might as well become an ordinary concubine and have a better life.

However, such unrealistic thoughts could only exist in her mind for a moment. Firstly, the position of Empress was not something she could give up at will. The honor and disgrace of the Shen family depended on her. Based on the family's reputation, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager naturally had high expectations for her to be virtuous and kind, and could not tolerate the slightest mistake from her.

Secondly, Shen Qingyin herself understood that even someone as noble as the Empress still didn't have a good life, which showed that there were no good days in the harem.

Being a concubine is far worse than being an empress.

The Empress's family was incredibly wealthy, and to outsiders it seemed like she was enjoying endless privileges. However, in reality, those who truly benefited were Consort Rong, who didn't have to worry about anything. The Empress herself, burdened with worries about everything, was destined for a life of toil in the harem. Fortunately, she had several high-ranking concubines to share the burden, which at least offered some balance to her mind. Otherwise, this constant imbalance would have driven her insane sooner or later.

Fortunately, after being in the palace for so long, both newcomers and veterans have settled down and won't make the same mistakes as when they first entered the palace. After everyone gradually adapts to the change in status, this is when the real battle begins.

It's only been a year or two, really.

"Sometimes, I wonder why time passes so slowly. It feels like the days I spent in the Prince's Palace were just yesterday. But as I get through each day, time suddenly seems to pass faster."

After the concubines paid their respects, as was customary, the Empress would keep two people behind for a chat, and today was no exception.

Consort Zhuang and Consort Zhao both had things to do; one was busy with her son's affairs, and the other was busy dealing with the trivial matters that had accumulated in the past few days. Neither of them had time to stay and talk to Shen Qingyin. Naturally, the only ones who stayed were a few concubines of moderate rank.

Yao Jinse was considered the most important person below the rank of Consort, and she had been interacting with the Empress very frequently lately. Naturally, she had to be present at such an occasion. Since she stayed, Consort Chen naturally followed suit. On the other side were He Yunqing, Bai Fengping, and two younger talented women. These two had no status in the palace, so there was nothing wrong with them staying. They could only offer a few words of agreement.

Life in the palace was somewhat boring, especially under Shen Qingyin's relatively fair management. No matter what the people below did, they couldn't cause any trouble, so there was a sense of peace and tranquility.

Even without the Empress's control, the stability within the harem might not be what everyone desired. Girls growing up in this era didn't have many forms of entertainment; they mostly just did embroidery and looked at flowers.

Perhaps there are more things to do when people are at home, but there are many rules in the palace. Moreover, becoming a concubine is not like being a girl at home anymore, and life obviously cannot be as carefree as before.

Such a strictly regulated place is like a huge fishing net, binding people tightly together. It may seem like there's plenty of room to move around, but in reality, you're restricted in every way.

Nothing meaningful was said at today's tea party.

Shen Qingyin asked this and that, showing her concern and expressing her attitude of treating newcomers and old friends equally, and then naturally became a little tired.

The conversation lasted less than half an hour. Even if the empress needed to maintain her composure at all times, how could she easily feel tired?

Yao Jinse naturally wouldn't embarrass the Empress at this time. Since she wasn't following behind the Consort, she had no interest in making the Empress lose face. So she took the lead in paying her respects and taking her leave. When she left, she walked back with Consort Chen, He Yunqing, and Bai Fengping.

The four of them didn't have much contact on a daily basis, but they addressed each other as sisters and always maintained a friendly demeanor. They often went to enjoy flowers and scenery together, not to mention taking walks together.

But this inevitably leads to some talking. (End of Chapter)