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

Chapter 14: Holding the Emperor hostage to order the princes

"Your Majesty, he is just an unfavored child. Why waste your breath arguing with him? The Emperor will dislike him first." Zhen'er was puzzled.

"No matter how unfavored he is, he is still the emperor's child. He lost his mother at a young age and is a pitiful child."

Emperor Yuanwu refused to see Jiang Wenlan.

The likely reason is that Jiang Wenlan looks too much like Consort Li.

When Emperor Yuanwu saw him, he would think of Consort Li; seeing the object would remind him of her.

"Your Majesty, I know there are some things I want to say that you don't like to hear, but I still have to say them. You should try to have a child with the Emperor so that you will have someone to rely on in the future."

Shen Qingwan: ...

She now somewhat understands the meaning of the saying, "The emperor isn't worried, but the eunuchs are dying of anxiety."

"Go back to the palace."

"My lady..."

Gundam's screams echoed throughout the Twelve Palaces of the East and West.

at dusk.

Emperor Yuanwu had just finished his official business when he hurriedly arrived at Kunning Palace.

Shen Qingwan was not surprised at all by his arrival.

Shen Qingwan calmly put down her teacup and curtsied, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Emperor Yuanwu's expression was very unpleasant.

He thought the woman had changed her personality, but it turned out she was just faking it.

This time it took quite a while to install...

They've only been doing well for a few days, and now they're at it again!

"I heard that the Empress punished the head chef of the Imperial Kitchen with a cane at Xianfu Palace today?"

"Yes."

Shen Qingwan admitted it without hesitation, which made Emperor Yuanwu's words get stuck in his throat.

He thought she would do what she always did: not only deny it, but also make up all sorts of excuses to cause a scene.

"What could have made the Empress so angry? In any case, Gao Da is Consort Xian's cousin. I know you think I favor Consort Xian and don't like her."

As the saying goes, even when beating a dog, one should consider its owner. By striking it ten times with a rod, you're not only harming Gao Da, but also Consort Xian's reputation. Is the Empress trying to make it clear to the entire palace that you and Consort Xian are at odds?

Shen Qingwan: ? ? ?

dog!?

She never said that. Gundam is a dog!
Emperor Yuanwu was truly indiscriminate in his actions when faced with problems.

My first thought was that she was being difficult again.

It seems that the original owner left a deep-rooted bad impression on him over the past three years.

It's not something that can be changed overnight.

"Your Majesty is so angry, I have a question. Is Your Majesty so angry because I punished Gao Da for his wrongdoing, or because beating Gao Da caused Consort Xian to lose face?" Shen Qingwan smiled slightly. Emperor Yuanwu was stunned by the question.

"Your Majesty, I gave Lord Gao ten strokes of the cane today. It won't kill him or cripple him. At most, he'll just suffer some physical pain."

The matter concerning Consort Jin's maternal family implicated her, but this was not her fault. Even though the Emperor punished her entire maternal family and she lost favor, Consort Jin never complained about the Emperor.

As the Empress, the head of the palace, I absolutely cannot stand by and watch a supervisor of the Imperial Kitchen bully the concubines.

Moreover, Consort Jin is the head of the palace. If these people don't respect Consort Jin, how can they be sincere towards Your Majesty?

At this moment, the Emperor felt that by hitting Consort Xian's cousin, he had slapped Consort Xian in the face.

Has Your Majesty considered this?

Even if Consort Jin is out of favor, she is still your concubine. For Gao Da to mistreat your concubine, forcing a mere consort to eat only pickled vegetables and chili peppers every day, isn't that a slap in the face to Your Majesty?

The anger in Emperor Yuanwu's eyes dissipated with each word she uttered.

“Your Majesty, as I told you last time, Consort Xi is my mother’s cousin. Whether you like her or not, you should give my mother some face. She hasn’t served the emperor yet. I thought that since Your Majesty isn’t going, I, as the empress, should go and see her. That’s how I accidentally stumbled upon the food that the imperial kitchen was sending to Consort Jin. It was just pickled vegetables and chili peppers.”

“I did not deliberately target Consort Xian, nor did I protect Consort Jin. I was just stating the facts and treating everyone fairly. Although Consort Xian assists in managing the six palaces, I am still the Empress. Do you think I have no right to handle matters in the harem?”

Emperor Yuanwu raised an eyebrow somewhat awkwardly: "No, the Empress is the mother of the nation, so of course she has the right to make decisions."

Shen Qingwan smiled and said, "If that's the case, why was the Emperor angry when he came in just now?"

"I..." Emperor Yuanwu paused, "I just didn't want to see the concubines in the harem at odds. The Empress's understanding is truly remarkable. It was my rashness that made me so reckless."

Emperor Yuanwu spoke slowly because he didn't know when his empress, who was always causing trouble, arrogant and domineering, and stubborn when faced with problems, had become so reasonable and well-founded.

Even when she sees him about to get angry, she can remain calm and composed, without any emotional fluctuation, and reason with him in a methodical manner.

Shen Qingwan has changed a lot since she recovered from her illness.

"Your Majesty, I know that Your Majesty likes Consort Xian and is biased towards her, but has Your Majesty ever thought about what the consequences would be if you continued to protect and indulge her?"
Since the incident with the mandarin duck bibs, the Emperor has not stepped into Yanxi Palace again. You are angry that Consort De listened to the slander of others and defamed Consort Xian, but have you ever thought about how Consort Xian's bibs ended up in the hands of the guards so easily?
A young lady's personal belongings disappeared without a trace, and afterwards Consort Xian surprisingly did not pursue the matter any further. Is this the kind of behavior Consort Xian would exhibit?
Consort Xian is the birth mother of the Third Prince, and she will be promoted to Noble Consort, or even Imperial Noble Consort, in the future.

Your Majesty, please don't forget that Consort Xian's father is the General Zhenyuan, who holds military power. You can please Consort Xian in one matter, but can you guarantee that you will please her in every matter? If she becomes arrogant because of your favor, or if a more suitable candidate is found for the Crown Prince in the future, Your Majesty, are you really not afraid that Consort Xian or the General's Mansion might have some wicked intentions and use the Emperor to command the princes?

Such precedents have existed in every dynasty; they are nothing new.

Even if the Emperor is very grateful for General Zhenyuan's assistance when you were still a prince, he should not spoil Consort Xian too much.

A single move can affect the whole situation. The inner palace and the court are closely linked. Even I, a woman deep in the palace, understand this principle. I think the Emperor understands it even better.

If the Emperor wishes for a lasting dynasty, he must ensure that his favor is distributed evenly throughout the harem, adding several more princes and princesses.

Emperor Yuanwu did not speak, but a strange look flashed in his eyes as he looked at Shen Qingwan.

The empress is not only different from before.

She even realized that she didn't really know her at all.

However, the favors were distributed equally, with several more princes added.

Emperor Yuanwu could never believe that these words came from Shen Qingwan's mouth.

"Your Majesty, I know that I have caused you and my mother a lot of trouble in the palace over the years, but please understand that I am just a concubine in the household. My father and mother only hoped that I could marry a kind and loving husband in the future. They never thought that one day I would become the empress."

(End of this chapter)