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

Chapter 172 Unprecedented
Huang Zongxiao was completely dumbfounded by the question.

Does the Emperor know...?

How could someone who rarely sees the emperor even a few times a year possibly know this?

However, in order to get those two pots of green chrysanthemums back from Consort Xian, Huang Zongxiao was willing to go all out. "Your Majesty, the Emperor should know about this matter. Yesterday, Eunuch Jixiang personally came to the flower room to convey the message. Perhaps Eunuch Jixiang's meaning is the Emperor's meaning."

Consort Xian was seething with anger, but she was also afraid that if she didn't hand over the two pots of green chrysanthemums, she would displease Emperor Yuanwu. She would no longer be the Consort Xian who could act recklessly in front of Emperor Yuanwu.

"Fine." Consort Xian pursed her lips deeply. "Take it."

The moment she uttered those words, almost instantly all the servants of Jingyang Palace turned their gazes to her, their eyes filled with undisguised shock.

Did Consort Xian compromise so easily?
Could it be that she's really going to fall out of favor?

Huang Zongxiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief; his head wouldn't have to be moved for the time being.

After leaving Jingyang Palace, Huang Zongxiao took the potted plants to Changchun Palace. Consort Zhen was very polite, not only giving him a reward but also expressing her gratitude.

When Huang Zongxiao came out of Changchun Palace, he held the money bag in his hand and felt very uncomfortable.

He then personally brought the two eunuchs who had previously disrespected the eldest princess to Wu Jixiang, tied them up, and punished each of them with fifty strokes of the cane before sending them to serve in the Censorate.

This punishment is neither too lenient nor too severe.

However, after fifty strokes of the cane, a person would basically be crippled.

Fortunately, the matter did not alarm the Empress.

When Huang Zongxiao came out of Wu Jixiang's place, he breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that the inner palace had truly changed.

From now on, in the harem, who should one curry favor with, and how should one do so?

Although she didn't alert anyone, Shen Qingwan quickly found out about it.

"Prince Xiang is still getting old; the women he sent didn't quite win the Emperor's heart," Shen Qingwan remarked with a sigh as she ate her breakfast.

"However, Consort Zhen actually benefited from this. The Emperor hasn't visited Consort Zhen's palace in a long time. I heard that this morning, the Emperor even bestowed quite a few potted plants upon the First Princess," Zhen'er said.

"Potted plants?" Shen Qingwan was taken aback. "The Emperor's reward is truly rare. In this freezing weather, those potted plants are not only devoid of flowers, but even their leaves are bare. What's the point of rewarding them with these things?"

"It seems it was last night, when the Emperor went to Consort Zhen's palace, Consort Zhen was teaching the eldest princess embroidery. The eldest princess was embroidering some flowers and plants, so the Emperor had the flower workshop send some flowers over so that the eldest princess could copy them." Zhen'er paused and continued, "But these are not the key points. The most important thing is that among the flowers the Emperor bestowed upon the eldest princess, there were two pots of rather rare green chrysanthemums. They are so rare that there have only been two pots in all these years, and they have always been kept in Consort Xian's Jingyang Palace."

"Oh?" Shen Qingwan raised her eyes and looked at Zhen'er with a drawn-out tone. She really didn't expect to hear such an interesting thing so early in the morning. "And then?"

"Then... Eunuch Huang, the head eunuch of the flower room, went to Jingyang Palace early this morning, before Consort Xian had even gotten out of bed. But speaking of which, this Eunuch Huang is quite capable. He actually managed to make Consort Xian spit out the meat she had just eaten. I never realized before that he was such a resourceful person."

Shen Qingwan scoffed coldly and continued to eat the soup in her bowl with her head down.

This is not because Huang Zongxiao is capable.

She didn't cause trouble or grow up; it was because Consort Xian recognized her current position.

Her favor in the harem had diminished considerably, and even her father's camp on the border had been moved from the frontier to Lingnan.

Although her father still held military power, it was quite obvious that the emperor wanted to strip him of his real power.

In addition, Rong Yuze won several battles in a row, and Consort Rong also benefited from her brother's fame, receiving his favor for half a year.

With such favor, it's only a matter of time before she conceives a royal heir.

However, it's hard to say whether Consort Rong will follow in Consort Xian's footsteps. After all, Shen Qingwan believes that Emperor Yuanwu has no love for the concubines in his harem, and even if he does, it can't outweigh his interests.

Every woman in the harem was merely a pawn in his control of the court and manipulation of the officials.

Consort Shen was rejected on her first night with the emperor, which was undoubtedly because Prince Xiang was too old and no longer concerned himself with court affairs.

For him, Prince Xiang was no longer a threat, nor did he have any value to him.

Shen Qingwan thought that this would earn her more favor from Consort Shen, but she never expected to be abandoned.

In the end, it was this Consort Shen who was so useless.

Shen Qingwan couldn't help but think of Consort Xia, who had been sent in by Prince Rui's mansion. She even had some doubts about how Emperor Yuanwu would treat Consort Xia.
She came from Prince Rui's private residence...

Shen Qingwan had just finished her breakfast when the concubines gathered in the main hall of Kunning Palace.

When everyone had arrived, Consort Shen arrived late.

Yesterday, the Emperor selected Consort Shen, but ended up sleeping with Consort Zhen. This morning, the news spread.

Despite applying a lot of makeup to her face, Consort Shen couldn't hide her red and swollen eyes from crying.

There are many women in the harem who are not favored, but it is unprecedented for Emperor Yuanwu to turn away and leave on his first night with the emperor.

Sitting in the seat of honor, Shen Qingwan took in all the amused looks from the concubines in the room.

"This concubine greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty be blessed. I am late and apologize to Your Majesty."

"Get up. Since you're here, please sit down. My sister has just entered the palace, so she needs to familiarize herself with the palace rules as soon as possible." Shen Qingwan smiled, revealing no emotion.

"This concubine will humbly follow Your Majesty's instructions." Consort Shen bowed and rose, but as soon as she sat down, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Everyone fell silent. Even those who had just been laughing at the situation now had complicated expressions.

At this moment, who among those sitting in the main hall of Kunning Palace can guarantee that their favor will last?

Perhaps what Consort Shen is going through today is the next one for me.

In the imperial harem, those who gain favor are easily remembered, but who remembers those who fall out of favor?

"vomit……"

Consort Rong's dry heaving broke the brief silence in the hall.

"What's wrong? Is Consort Rong feeling unwell?" Shen Qingwan asked with concern.

Consort Rong covered her chest with one hand and slowly shook her head after a while. "Your Majesty, I have been feeling unwell these days, with a bit of nausea and vomiting, but it's nothing serious."

Some days...

This remark drew everyone's attention, especially Consort Zhen and Consort Liang, who had both given birth to children, and they exchanged a glance.

"Has Consort Rong consulted the imperial physician?" Consort Liang asked.

"Your Highness, I am fine. I may have caught a chill. Sometimes a little rest is enough. I didn't take it to heart."

(End of this chapter)