The harem is too complicated; the empress, a lazy bum, wins by doing nothing.

Chapter 102 Childhood
This really stumped Emperor Yuanwu.

He thought for a long time but couldn't remember the names of the other two concubines who entered the palace with Dong Chang.

In Shen Qingwan's mind, the person who was complaining behind her back was none other than Consort De.

Emperor Yuanwu has been busy with court affairs these days and hasn't visited the inner palace many times. Consort Dong has been punished for so many days now.

The fact that Emperor Yuanwu came to visit at this time must be related to his stay at Yanxi Palace last night.

Consort De's ability to act one way in public and another way in private is something only the original owner of this body would consider a confidante.

If it weren't for her constantly stirring things up behind the scenes, the original owner might not have caused so much trouble in the harem.

However, although she knew that the Empress was different from before, deep down she still felt that the Empress was someone she could manipulate at will.

An impression etched in a person's mind is really hard to change.

Unfortunately, she didn't know that the original owner of the body who believed everything she said was long gone.

“The three of them have been in the palace for some time now, and in that long time, the Emperor has not favored any of them. Hasn’t the Emperor also hurt the Empress Dowager and their families? Although I don’t know who is gossiping behind my back, shouldn’t the Emperor have asked about the reasons before blaming me, and then gotten angry?” Shen Qingwan spoke calmly, without a trace of emotion in her words.

"Then tell me, Empress, why did you strike Consort Dong?" Emperor Yuanwu asked.

“That morning, the ladies from various palaces came to Kunning Palace to pay their respects to me. I overheard what they were saying while they were waiting. I think everyone present heard it. Since someone said so much to you, they must have also mentioned why I hit Consort Dong.” Shen Qingwan looked at Emperor Yuanwu with a composed expression: “May I hear what they said to you behind your back about this matter?”

Emperor Yuanwu's expression was somewhat indescribable. He had originally come here to demand an explanation, but now he was caught in the middle: "The beating has already been done. Since the Empress does not want to bring it up again, then let's not talk about it anymore."

"Consort Dong is from Consort De's palace. As the head of a palace, Consort De failed to restrain the people in her own palace, allowing her to spread rumors and defy authority in the harem, criticizing Consort Rou for not being able to serve the emperor. When the emperor visited Consort Rou, what means did she use? Out of respect for the emperor, I only gave Consort De a few words of advice. Is such punishment wrong?" Shen Qingwan retorted.

Emperor Yuanwu's expression froze.

“If we were to punish her according to palace rules, I’m afraid Consort Dong wouldn’t be able to stay in Yanxi Palace by now.” Shen Qingwan felt she had said enough. If she continued, the Emperor might not think Consort De was stirring up trouble behind her back, but rather that she was being unreasonable. So she changed the subject and softened her tone: “Your Majesty, you’ve come at this hour, so you probably haven’t had lunch yet. Should we have someone bring you some?”

Since the Empress did not dwell on the matter, Emperor Yuanwu could not bring it up again.

The imperial kitchen delivered lunch.

The duck soup that was served for lunch was a bit greasy. After the meal, Shen Qingwan had someone bring in a few frozen persimmons from the courtyard.

"Your Majesty, have you ever eaten frozen persimmons?"

Emperor Yuanwu paused, his fingertip pausing: "Does the Empress like to eat this?"

"It's not a matter of liking or disliking it. I just had some free time, and it just so happens that it's particularly cold this year, so I froze some. Would Your Majesty like to try some?" Shen Qingwan said, handing him a spoon.

"I ate some of this when I was a child, and I haven't eaten it for many years now." Emperor Yuanwu smiled bitterly: "When I was a child, I doted on Prince Rui the most. Most of the frozen persimmons that were sent as tribute from the Northwest would be sent to Prince Rui. I could only get a few. When I was a child, I really regarded frozen persimmons as treasures every winter."

Shen Qingwan: ...

good good!
She casually picked up a frozen persimmon, which unexpectedly stirred up Emperor Yuanwu's tragic childhood memories.

You are eight years older than Prince Rui. By the time Prince Rui was old enough to eat frozen persimmons, you already had concubines.

How dare I argue with a little kid over frozen persimmons?

Shen Qingwan's expression instantly became somewhat indescribable.

"However, frozen persimmons are not something that only exists in the Northwest. The Empress grew up in Jiangnan and also likes to eat them. She even knows how to make them?" Emperor Yuanwu asked in surprise.

Shen Qingwan: ...

Waiting for her here.

Shen Qingwan was trying to figure out how to gloss over the matter when Su Tianhe hurriedly walked in.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, the Eldest Princess, along with the prince and the princess, has arrived at the palace gate. Consort Zhen is there to greet them."

Shen Qingwan was surprised: "You're back so soon? I thought it would take another two days."

Emperor Yuanwu's reaction was noticeably calmer than Shen Qingwan's.

Shen Qingwan's reaction is understandable. After all, the Eldest Princess was not born to the Empress Dowager. It's fortunate that the Eldest Princess is a princess; if she were a prince, her very existence would be questionable.

Regardless of what arrangements the palace made upon the Princess's return, Shen Qingwan, as the Empress and the mother of all people, would certainly not go to pay her respects before the Princess.

According to palace rules, after the eldest princess has settled in, she should bring her child over.

But they waited until the next morning.

"Greetings to Your Majesty the Empress, may Your Majesty be blessed." The Princess knelt and bowed. "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I intended to pay my respects to Your Majesty yesterday, but I was exhausted from the journey. My two children fell asleep shortly after I finished getting ready. I just returned to the palace and was really worried about leaving them in Xing Shuang Pavilion. That's why I was delayed."

"These are all minor matters, Your Highness need not worry about them." Shen Qingwan smiled calmly: "Is your stay at Xingshuang Pavilion comfortable? If there is anything lacking, please have Consort De and Consort Shu procure it. Currently, Consort Shu and Consort De are assisting in managing the inner palace."

Consort Shu and Consort De assisted in managing affairs.

Upon hearing this, the eldest princess looked up and glanced at Shen Qingwan.

Her gaze was calm and serene, her demeanor composed, as if the turmoil in the harem had nothing to do with her.

The princess's smile froze: "This must be the first time I've met Her Majesty the Empress. When Her Majesty the Empress married my brother, I had already been sent away for a political marriage many years ago. I've heard many rumors about her before, but I never expected Her Majesty the Empress to be so kind and approachable."

Shen Qingwan smiled but remained silent.

It's unbelievable that the original owner was so famous; even the Eldest Princess had heard of him in the Northern Desert.

"They're just rumors, Your Highness needn't take them to heart." Shen Qingwan smiled suddenly and had someone bring over the pastries that had been prepared in advance: "I heard that you brought your child back, so I made some pastries for him myself. I wonder if he'll like them?"

The princess was startled and hurriedly had someone take the pastries from her. When she opened the food box, colorful, unique and interesting pastries came into view.

(End of this chapter)