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

The reason Chen Meiren was angry at this moment was precisely what Yao Jinse had wanted to do earlier, so Yao Jinse could understand her feelings very well.

"There's nothing we can do about it. With this matter in place, it really won't be appropriate to mention this favor of promotion to the Emperor when the year draws to a close."

"But don't worry, these things are ultimately the Emperor's thoughts, and there's no use in blaming Consort Qiao," Yao Jinse paused, then changed her words, "Now she should be called Consort Ning, meaning peaceful and stable. The Emperor's title is quite meaningful."

No matter how profound the meaning, it's all in vain. As long as there are such disputes over interests, people cannot settle down peacefully.

Not to mention the situation in the imperial harem, even among ordinary people who originally had deep friendships, many relationships would fall apart for the sake of some interests. The emperor's expectations for the imperial harem were nothing more than wishful thinking on his part.

Of course, everyone would outwardly present a harmonious and peaceful scene. Showing too much hostility in front of the emperor would only displease him.

In such matters, the women in the palace, regardless of age, all had their own scales of judgment and naturally knew what was more important.

"I just can't stand how the Emperor is so biased towards her. She's only been in the palace for a short time, but he's already giving her all the good things."

I also heard today that the Emperor spoke to her in Kunning Palace yesterday, which made the Empress sad.

"It's just that today isn't the day for paying respects, but I think that even if it were, Her Majesty, being so virtuous, wouldn't reveal these things and embarrass the Emperor."

What Consort Chen said was true. Shen Qingyin’s outward virtue was praised by everyone in the harem, but it also became a shackle on her. With this reputation for virtue, she could not do anything freely.

What's the use of a good reputation then?
It would be better to do what Consort Rong is doing now and simply pretend not to see Qiao Yanran. This way, she won't get upset and she can also appease the Emperor's wishes.

"No matter how much tension exists between the Empress and the Emperor, it is a matter between the Emperor and Empress as husband and wife. We people have no right to say anything about it. It's fine to talk about it in private, but you must be careful what you say in public."

Since entering Yuxiu Palace, Chen Meiren's emotions had been soothed by Yao Jinse's few words. Now, after complaining a few times, she was guided back to a normal train of thought by Yao Jinse and was naturally much more clear-headed than before.

But even though she's clear-headed, there are some things she just can't help but say because of her personality.

"Now that the prince has become the emperor, we've entered this harem. It's not as comfortable as it was when we were in the prince's mansion. Back then, even though we wouldn't see anyone for many days out of the month, we knew it was for important matters outside, so we didn't think too much about it. But now, even though we know how to see people, someone has already taken the spotlight from us. I don't know how I can get over this."

Ultimately, it's because there are no children causing trouble.

As long as she has a child by her side, given Consort Chen's personality, she wouldn't care about rank or status. However, her family background is what it is. Although her family is thousands of miles away, they can still do things for the Emperor. As long as she doesn't go too far in the harem, her family can naturally protect her.

This life may not be one of wealth and luxury, but at least one will certainly be able to enjoy fine clothes and sumptuous meals.

Unfortunately, now that she was in the inner palace, many things had changed. Even someone of Chen Meiren's low rank received messages from her family asking her to help them gain some benefits.

But it's not that easy.
It might be easy for a favored concubine to ask for these benefits, but she had no dignity in front of the emperor, so she naturally had no way to do these things.

In the end, all he could do was burn the letters that came from home and pretend he had never seen them.

It's easy to burn a letter, but difficult to burn away the thoughts in one's mind. In the dead of night, people will always recall things they are powerless to change, and naturally, they will hold onto those thoughts.

Looking at the preoccupied Chen Meiren, Yao Jinse couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

She was clearly a very straightforward person, but she loved to eat good food. She should have had nothing to worry about in the harem, but after a year or two, she started to worry about the conflicts among the women.

This shows how powerfully the harem can change a person.

"Let's not talk about these things anymore, it's just getting more and more annoying. I wonder what the Imperial Kitchen has prepared for dinner tonight. Since we're here, let's all eat together."

He instructed Bai Tan to inform the emperor to bring Consort Chen's dinner to Yuxiu Palace, and added two more taels of silver, then sent Bai Tao to the imperial kitchen.

Tonight's dinner at the Imperial Kitchen was not much different from usual, with few of the usual dishes. Consort Chen's portion was even lower than that of a Consort, and the quantity was also average.

This clearly shows that her daily life under Consort Zhuang's control was not easy. Otherwise, with Consort Zhuang's power to manage so many things in the harem, if she had helped Consort Chen get some benefits in terms of her daily meals—or even if she had just asked the imperial kitchen staff to follow the rules—it wouldn't have turned out like this.

Perhaps sensing that Yao Jinse felt something was amiss about the meal, Chen Meiren reached out and patted the back of Yao Jinse's hand.

"It's nothing more than arguing about these things. Anyway, I don't have many people around me, and I can't eat much. It was the same when I was in the Prince's Mansion. Although the Imperial Kitchen was not very good, it never shortchanged anyone."

If I were to insist on pointing out something that they couldn't possibly have done wrong, it would only make me seem difficult to reason with. Right now, I'm not concerned about anything else; I just hope I still have some good reputation with the Emperor that he'll remember me, so I can have a child sooner rather than later.

Fortunately, Yao Jinse had anticipated all of this. Since she had spent money today, she would naturally have a good meal tonight.

So when Bai Tao and Bai Lu returned with the eunuch, they brought back a mutton hot pot, roasted mutton and pastries prepared by the imperial kitchen, and a food box containing many fresh vegetables, which was completely different from the food that had been delivered before.

"Some things can't be rushed. Ultimately, we all need to calm down. But the storms in the harem don't stop so easily. There's plenty of time; let's see what happens." (End of Chapter)