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

As soon as Empress Dowager Xu finished speaking, the main hall, which had been somewhat noisy, instantly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Even Empress Shen Qingyin couldn't help but show a strange look in her eyes at this moment. Mainly because no one knew what the Empress Dowager was going to say, so naturally no one was mentally prepared for what was to come.

Even Shen Qingyin initially thought that today was just a formality. Since the emperor ascended the throne, the empress dowager had hardly managed the affairs of the harem in the past two years. The only thing she did was occasionally call her, the empress, over to give a few words of advice because the concubines were not pregnant.

What are you doing today?
Before Shen Qingyin arrived, she thought that the Empress Dowager was going to repeat the same old tune today—nothing more than sharing with all the concubines the "earnest teachings" that she usually gave to her, the Empress.

All that talk about being gentle, considerate, charming, and lovable boils down to one thing: making the emperor like them and then doing their best to produce offspring for the royal family.

Unfortunately, Shen Qingyin was the Empress, and the others were just concubines. None of them were gods, and no one could truly make the Emperor fall in love with them.
If she truly possessed the ability to manipulate the emperor, Shen Qingyin would have already controlled him herself to have another legitimate son.

Things don't always go as people wish. As the emperor, Xie Yun'an is the most honorable man in the land. How could his wife possibly have the right to interfere with which woman he likes or wants to favor?
Back when they were in the Prince's mansion, Shen Qingyin thought Xie Yun'an was truly devoted to Consort Rong. It was just a pity that Consort Rong was unlucky; despite being favored by the Prince for so many years, she was unable to have a child.

But now, seeing the fate of the Duke's mansion, and after inquiring a little with the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital who were attached to her, Shen Qingyin learned the reason why Consort Rong had not conceived for so many years. She felt not only cold-hearted, but also horrified.

In truth, she had experienced the word "heartbreak" far too often over the years. Xie Yun'an might be considered a decent bedmate to Consort Rong or even Consort Qiao, but in front of her, the Empress and her first wife, he was as cold as an emperor.

Shen Qingyin was long past the age of pursuing love; that was something only a naive young girl would be obsessed with.

At her age and in her position, it would be truly inappropriate for her to still be preoccupied with such things.

But most people in this world are forced to live against their will. What you think in your heart is one thing, and what you show on the outside is another.

As a qualified wife and empress, she ultimately needed to demonstrate her devotion and love for the emperor, as well as many other qualities such as virtue and gentleness.

Having been carefully cultivated for so many years and held this position for so long, Shen Qingyin already knew what to show and how to show these things in front of Xie Yun'an. These methods had long been ingrained in her. Just like at this moment, a thousand thoughts were churning in her mind, but on the surface, she did not show any surprise at the Empress Dowager's words.

No matter what the Empress Dowager says or does, the Empress must act as if it is expected, so that the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is harmonious and she can keep the people below her in check.

The Empress Dowager, sitting on the phoenix throne, would naturally not embarrass the Empress in public on such a occasion. As the superior, there was always this tacit understanding between them.

Yao Jinse listened to the Empress Dowager's reprimand from below, feeling somewhat disheartened.

Having spent so long in the palace, even someone as straightforward as Empress Dowager Xu had developed a remarkable talent for speaking politely. She delivered a long, eloquent speech, but the central theme boiled down to just a few points. First, she said that now that Consort Rong had given birth safely, everyone should follow her example and make more connections with the Emperor. After all, even a meeting fosters goodwill, and even if one couldn't see the Emperor, sending gifts to the Hall of Mental Cultivation or the Palace of Heavenly Purity would be beneficial.

All the concubines in the palace, whether new or old, are of childbearing age, and their prime years should not be wasted in the loneliness of the deep palace.

The Empress and Consort Zhuang are older, but not by much. If they are lucky, it's not impossible for them to have another child.

However, Yao Jinse knew that the Empress had no interest in the Emperor's favor, and Consort Zhuang was completely focused on the Crown Prince. She wondered how much work a prince with a large entourage could possibly do that required Consort Zhuang, as his mother, to take such good care of him.

These were just thoughts in her mind. While Yao Jinse was thinking, the Empress Dowager continued to grumble, saying that the new emperor had only been on the throne for a year or two, and that the palace had already spent the whole year preparing for the New Year celebrations. This year's New Year celebrations should be more frugal than last year's.

After all, there are various festivals throughout the year, as well as the birthdays of the Emperor, Empress Dowager, Empress, and high-ranking concubines, all of which need to be celebrated. All these celebrations cost money.

In addition, the newly entered concubines were not of high rank to begin with, and they had to send gifts to their superiors whenever something happened. On such days, the higher-ranking concubines had to give rewards to their inferiors. It was a lot of trouble going back and forth.

It would be better to be more frugal. After all, palace banquets are held regularly, and as for other events, it wouldn't be bad to make them a little more intimate.

The Empress quietly agreed, and Consort Rong naturally didn't say anything more when she saw this. The Empress Dowager's request was actually very simple for the Empress. Back when they were in the Prince's Mansion, Xie Yun'an, in order to reassure his other brothers, showed his playboy side while instructing Shen Qingyin to manage the entire Prince's Mansion very strictly.

In the Prince's mansion's inner treasury, a large amount of silver was usually used to save face for Xie Yun'an's philandering and absurdity, so naturally, the holidays could only be simple and cozy.

Empress Dowager Xu's lecture lasted for half an hour, but the central idea was the same over and over again. The people below found it boring, and some of the new concubines in the back corners even started to daydream. Only then did the Empress Dowager finally stop.

It was just a greeting, and it shouldn't have lasted too long anyway.

To everyone's disappointment, Xie Yun'an did not appear until the concubines left Cining Palace.

However, the chief eunuch Hu Shijie came over and said that an important matter had suddenly occurred in the court, and the emperor would not have time to come and pay his respects to the empress dowager today. He would come to apologize to the empress dowager later when he was done with his business.

Empress Dowager Xu naturally didn't care about such trivial matters. After saying a few words about the importance of national affairs, she turned around and dismissed all the concubines.

Since they couldn't see the Emperor, there was no point in staying with the Empress Dowager, so they naturally dispersed. (End of Chapter)