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

Chapter 158 Cooking Without Rice
"Mother, there's no need to be angry. The fact that the Emperor can't forget Consort Li shows that he is a man of great affection and loyalty. Consort Chun was punished and sent to the Cold Palace because she impersonated Consort Li and startled Consort De's unborn child, and she still doesn't know how to repent." Shen Qingwan stood up and bowed: "This matter is my fault. I failed to take good care of the imperial heir in Consort De's womb."

The Empress Dowager helped Shen Qingwan up: "This matter is not the Empress's fault. Although I am old, I am not confused. It was wrong of Consort Chun to disguise herself as Consort Li to compete for favor, but why did it only frighten Consort De and not the others?"

Shen Qingwan couldn't help but admire the previous palace intrigue champion. She saw right through her, was insightful, reasonable, and didn't pretend to be confused because of her age. She was genuinely satisfied with her mother-in-law, as they could communicate without any problems, which saved her a lot of trouble.

"After such a fright, it's estimated that Consort De's unborn child will be difficult to save. If none of the concubines in the harem can conceive, after the New Year, some noble ladies from the capital will still be selected to enter the palace, so as to continue the emperor's lineage."

Shen Qingwan: ...

The Empress Dowager was indeed Emperor Yuanwu's biological mother, and she was absolutely unambiguous in urging him to have a child.

But shouldn't she also reflect on this?

With so many concubines in the harem, some had no children, while others had difficulty giving birth. Is it possible that the problem wasn't with the concubines at all?

The Empress Dowager, seeing Shen Qingwan's somewhat troubled expression, coughed lightly: "Your Majesty knows that what you just said made the Empress uncomfortable, but the continuation of the imperial line is related to the stability of the country. There are only three princes in the harem. The Second Prince is in poor health, the Third Prince is born to Consort Xian, and the First Prince..."

When Jiang Wenlan was mentioned, the Empress Dowager didn't know what to say, so she simply skipped it. "The Empress is filial and manages the harem very well, which makes me very gratified. Now that we have Consort Shu, Consort Jin, and Consort Zhen helping the Empress with the trivial matters in the palace, the Empress can spend more time focusing on the Emperor and give birth to a legitimate son with him as soon as possible. Then the Empress Dowager will be at ease. With a legitimate son, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor will no longer have to worry about the selection of the Crown Prince, and the court will be more stable."

Shen Qingwan was speechless. People really can't be so heartless. She was worried about her son's health and tried everything to help him nourish himself, just so that he could favor the concubines in the harem more often and give birth to more princes.

Why would the Empress Dowager have designs on her?

How can someone repay kindness with enmity?

Shen Qingwan's expression was a little stiff: "Mother, I still need to deliver some pastries to the children, otherwise they will get cold. I will come over later to have dinner with you."

"Very well, very well." The Empress Dowager smiled kindly. "Your Majesty, please go quickly. Zhang Mama, please see Your Majesty off for me."

Zhang Mama escorted Shen Qingwan all the way to the entrance of Cining Palace before returning to report, "Your Majesty, the Empress has gone to the Princes' quarters with the things prepared for them."

"Did the Empress say anything?" The Empress Dowager looked down at the pastries that Shen Qingwan had brought over and asked in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, the Empress did not say anything, but..." Zhang Mama paused and continued, "but this servant felt that the Empress's complexion did not seem very good when she left."

The Empress Dowager sighed inwardly, "It's all the Emperor's doing. The Empress is virtuous now, not only filial to me but also good to the children. But the Emperor doesn't appreciate the people in front of him. Consort Li has been gone for seven years. I don't know what he's so obsessed with. At his age, he still pulls this stunt. If he hadn't been thinking about Consort Li all the time, how could Consort Chun have made such a mistake and startled Consort De's pregnancy? Go and tell the Emperor to come to my palace for dinner tonight."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhang Mama curtsied. "But Your Majesty, although Consort Chun disguised herself as Consort Li to try to win favor, Consort De was so frightened that she went insane. Isn't that a bit...? No matter what, Consort Chun didn't dress up as a ghost to scare people."

"Do you think I don't know what's going on? Consort De wasn't frightened by Noble Lady Chun; she frightened herself like this. Now that she has a child and has finally found someone to rely on, she's done too many bad things, and now she's getting her comeuppance," the Empress Dowager sighed.

"Your Majesty, you need not worry too much. You should take better care of your health. As for matters in the inner palace, there is still the Empress," Zhang Mama advised.

The Empress Dowager nodded silently. "Yes, now that we have the Empress, it has indeed saved me a lot of trouble."

When Shen Qingwan arrived at the prince's residence, Jiang Wenlan was sitting at his desk reading. He would be eight years old after his birthday, but he was still a child. When he saw the Empress coming to see him, he hurriedly put down his book and ran towards Shen Qingwan. "Greetings, Your Majesty. Your son greets Your Majesty."

Jiang Wenlan knelt down to pay his respects, and Shen Qingwan reached out to help him up from the ground.

"Your Majesty, what brings you here to see me today?"

Shen Qingwan took the food box she had brought out from under the thick cotton cloth: "Guess?"

"Did Her Majesty the Empress bring me food?" Jiang Wenlan said, his eyes lighting up. "It's been so long since I've had anything made by Her Majesty the Empress herself."

"Then try it quickly." Shen Qingwan said as she took a piece of cake out of the food box.

"Your Majesty, I have never seen such pastries before. What are these?" Jiang Wenlan asked with great curiosity.

"This is called a cake, although... but..."

Shen Qingwan's expression was somewhat indescribable.

The cake she made had no cream, so it looked a bit unrealistic. It was probably due to limited resources; even a skilled cook can't make a meal without ingredients.

"Your Majesty, what is a cake? I've never heard of it before." Jiang Wenlan was even more curious.

"This is specially for people who have celebrated their birthdays."

birthday……

Upon hearing those two words, Jiang Wenlan's expression clearly froze for a moment before he slowly spoke.

"Your Majesty, I have never celebrated my birthday. I almost forgot my own birthday. People in the palace say that I killed my birth mother, which is why Father Emperor doesn't like me."

As Jiang Wenlan spoke, her head drooped lower and lower, as if deliberately concealing the hint of disappointment in her eyes that she didn't want anyone to notice.

Shen Qingwan reached out and touched his head. "When others say that, it only shows their ignorance. You are your mother's son, how could you possibly want to harm your mother? It was just an accident. Even the imperial physicians were helpless. Why should you blame yourself, eldest prince?"

"Is it really just an accident?" Jiang Wenlan asked, half believing and half doubting.

Shen Qingwan nodded firmly: "Of course, does the First Prince not believe the Empress's words?"

This child has experienced countless untold hardships since childhood.

(End of this chapter)