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

Chapter 156 Bitch
"Consort Xian, you vile woman, it's all your fault that I'm suffering! Even if I become a vengeful ghost, I will never let you go!"

"I was so blind to believe you, you bastard."

"Do you know why the Emperor doesn't like you anymore? It's because you've done too many things..."

As Consort Chun was dragged further and further away, her words were carried away by the wind.

But what did she mean by what she just said?
Could it be that Consort Xian ordered Consort Chun to do what happened today? Did Consort Xian order Consort Chun to dress up as Consort Li on the anniversary of Consort Li's death and seduce the Emperor?

Right.

If one hadn't been serving Emperor Yuanwu from the very beginning, how could one have seen Consort Li, let alone know about her usual makeup and preferences?

Emperor Yuanwu slowly turned his head and looked at Consort Xian.

Consort Xian turned her head away guiltily, not daring to meet Emperor Yuanwu's questioning gaze. As if deliberately concealing something, she reached out and touched her head. "Your Majesty, this Noble Consort Chun probably knows she's going to be banished to the Cold Palace and wants to drag someone down with her. Your Majesty, you know that Noble Consort Chun is from Yanxi Palace. Consort De and I have always been at odds. I suppose she wants to do something for her position before going to the Cold Palace, so that Consort De will remember her kindness and perhaps one day put in a good word for her, asking Your Majesty to release her from the Cold Palace."

Consort Xian spoke at length, yet still dared not raise her eyes to look at Emperor Yuanwu.

She didn't know how much of this far-fetched explanation Emperor Yuanwu had actually taken to heart, but when his gaze swept over Shen Qingwan standing beside him...

She remained calm, showing no emotion whatsoever.

Consort Xian felt she must be going crazy. At this moment, she was actually hoping that Shen Qingwan would say something, even just a sentence. Emperor Yuanwu would probably believe her to some extent, after all, she was the Empress.

The cold wind was biting, especially in the dead of night; the wind felt like a knife scraping against my face.

"Your Majesty, it's so cold. You should take care of your health. Why don't you go and rest in the Empress's palace first?" Consort Xian couldn't help but say.

Shen Qingwan looked at her in disbelief. Was Consort Xian grasping at straws in her desperation, actually inviting Emperor Yuanwu to rest in her palace?!

ill?

“Your Majesty, Consort De is pregnant with the Emperor’s child and has been frightened. I am really worried about her. I will stay in Yanxi Palace tonight and return to the palace once she has calmed down. Your Majesty, please go and rest in Consort Xian’s palace.” Shen Qingwan said calmly.

Consort Xian: ...

The Empress really enjoys going against her, even though Consort De was indeed the Empress's person before.

However, since the Empress fell seriously ill, she seems to have become less close to Consort De.

Why did you suddenly say today that you wanted to stay and take care of Consort De? Could it be that you deliberately wanted Emperor Yuanwu to go to Jingyang Palace?

What if Emperor Yuanwu asks about Consort Chun later...?
No, no, we absolutely cannot let Emperor Yuanwu go to Jingyang Palace. She's digging her own grave.

It would be better to wait until Emperor Yuanwu has forgotten about this matter before inviting him to Jingyang Palace.

"Your Majesty, I am not feeling well today. Why don't you go and rest in one of your other sisters' palaces?"

After listening to the two men's words, Emperor Yuanwu's cold eyes darkened even more.

The crowd exchanged glances, none daring to speak. They all sensed that Emperor Yuanwu was currently furious, and if they were not careful in serving him, they risked incurring his wrath and suffering dire consequences.

"Your Majesty." Consort Jin pursed her lips and stepped out from the crowd. "When I came here, the kitchen prepared some white fungus soup. If Your Majesty doesn't mind, please come to my palace and have some white fungus soup to warm yourself up." Emperor Yuanwu didn't speak, but only glanced at Consort Jin before turning and walking towards the gate of Yanxi Palace.

Consort Jin paused for a moment, then quickly followed.

"This Consort Jin really knows how to curry favor with the Emperor. Tremella soup? She really knows how to eat. Could it be that she prepared it for the Emperor in advance?" Consort Dong muttered to herself.

"Why didn't Consort Dong have the foresight to prepare the white fungus soup and let the Emperor come to your palace to warm himself up?" Shen Qingwan turned her head, her voice unhurried but carrying a sharp edge.

"Your Majesty, I misspoke." Consort Dong's face paled, and she curtsied.

"No matter who spoke up just now, His Majesty might have gone over. But you all know that His Majesty is in a bad mood tonight, and you're all afraid that you won't serve him well and will anger him. So you all hid in the back. Why did His Majesty go with Consort Jin and offend you all? What were you all doing just now?" Shen Qingwan scolded angrily.

"Please calm your anger, Your Majesty. I know I was wrong." The crowd curtsied.

“Today’s Consort Chun is the best example. I don’t want to see any more of these inappropriate ways of vying for favor in the harem. Otherwise, the consequences will be even worse than Consort Chun’s today.” Shen Qingwan paused. “It’s getting late. Go back and get some rest. Those with children, take good care of them. We can talk about anything tomorrow morning.”

"Yes." The group bowed and withdrew.

Shen Qingwan turned and entered Consort De's palace.

At this moment, Consort De had just taken her medicine and was still not in good spirits. She curled up in a corner of the bed and refused to let anyone near her.

Shen Qingwan glanced at it, then turned and followed Physician Zhang to the main hall: "Physician Zhang, how is Consort De?"

"Your Majesty, Consort De's condition is not good. I'm afraid it will take a lot of effort to restore her consciousness. The main problem is that Consort De is pregnant, so it's not appropriate to administer medicine directly."

"Where's the baby? The baby in your womb?" Shen Qingwan asked immediately.

"Your Majesty, with all my medical skills, I can save this pregnancy for five months."

Five months?
That means Consort De's pregnancy is doomed.

I was already very uneasy when I first got pregnant, and then I was so scared that I was completely disoriented...

Shen Qingwan sighed inwardly. Could it be that Emperor Yuanwu was truly destined to have few children? Ordinary families usually have one child after another, so why was it so difficult for him to have a child?
Could it be that his... well, it's not good quality?

No, she'll have to study this carefully when she gets back and give him some nourishment.

"Your Majesty," Physician Zhang bowed respectfully, "There is something I wish to say, but I am unsure whether I should."

"Please speak freely, Physician Zhang."

"It's inevitable that Consort De's pregnancy will not be saved. We should do our best to save her, because many of the medicines for calming the mind are not suitable for pregnant women. If we delay until after five months, I'm afraid the baby will not be saved, and Consort De will also..." Physician Zhang said helplessly.

Shen Qingwan could understand Physician Zhang's thoughts. As a doctor, he was kind and naturally did not want to see Consort De go crazy because of the delay in taking medicine.

Even if this child was destined not to be born, no one dared to harm the dragon prince in her womb. Perhaps this is the tragedy of women in this era. Although it is not said that life is as worthless as grass, when it comes to taking care of both the mother and the child, the possibility of protecting the child is probably greater.

(End of this chapter)