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

Chapter 176: Killing
Ruan Changzai?
Shen Qingwan looked her up and down. She wore a red brocade robe embroidered with peonies, a flowing pink gauze skirt, and a peony hairpin tucked into her hair in a phoenix-shaped bun.

I don't know if it's because I've been waiting here for so long, but my cheeks are red from the cold.

If this outfit wasn't carefully chosen, no one would believe it.

"Why is Consort Ruan here?" Emperor Yuanwu asked in surprise.

"Your Majesty, I have just finished my meal and came here to digest. I didn't expect to run into Your Majesty and Empress here." As Consort Ruan spoke, she lowered her eyes somewhat shyly. Her bashful expression made Shen Qingwan's skin crawl.

These old tricks for vying for favor have been used to death in the imperial harem.

Emperor Yuanwu probably visits once or twice a month. Although she feels there's no real affection involved, that's because she's a woman. When a woman sees another woman using tricks to seduce a man, she just thinks the other woman is a hypocrite.

However... men seem to fall for this trick, after all, many concubines in the harem used this tactic to compete for the emperor's favor.

Emperor Yuanwu remained calm, but he didn't seem particularly pleased.

"It's so cold. If you've eaten too much, take a walk in the courtyard. So many things have happened in the palace these past two days. The Imperial Hospital is already short-staffed. If you catch a cold, it will only add more trouble to the Imperial Hospital."

The moment Emperor Yuanwu finished speaking, Shen Qingwan almost burst out laughing. Looking at Ruan Changzai's stiff smile, she almost couldn't hold it in anymore.

She went to great lengths just to seduce him, but he not only didn't appreciate it, he even accused Consort Ruan of causing trouble for the Imperial Hospital.

Isn't that a bit insensitive?

"Your Majesty..." Ruan Changzai's face was ashen. She looked at Shen Qingwan pleadingly, as if hoping that Shen Qingwan could say a few words on her behalf.

Shen Qingwan understood, so she quickly turned her head to the side.

At a time like this, it was impossible for her to speak up for Ruan Changzai, not because she was afraid of offending Emperor Yuanwu.

However, if she, as the Empress, were to speak up for Consort Ruan today, wouldn't that encourage the corrupt practices in the harem? If everyone were to follow suit in the future, wouldn't the harem descend into chaos?

Seeing that the Empress was unwilling to talk to her, Consort Ruan bit her lip and struggled for a moment before trying to say something.

Emperor Yuanwu spoke first, "I'm asking you a question. Why are you looking at the Empress?"

"I..." Consort Ruan's eyes were red, and she held back her tears. "I know I was wrong."

Emperor Yuanwu ignored her and turned to walk along another path in the Imperial Garden. Shen Qingwan glanced at Consort Ruan kneeling on the ground and followed Emperor Yuanwu.

Originally, Consort Rong's pregnancy and promotion to Consort Ying should have been a happy occasion, but now Consort Ruan has ruined it all.

Shen Qingwan glanced at Emperor Yuanwu's retreating figure with immense sympathy.

Being an emperor is actually quite difficult!
After Ruan Changzai's outburst, Emperor Yuanwu lost all interest in strolling through the Imperial Garden and simply returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to review memorials, while Shen Qingwan returned to the Kunning Palace.

The Imperial Garden was very close to Kunning Palace, so Shen Qingwan didn't let Jiao chase after her and simply walked back.

Just as I stepped out of the Imperial Garden, I heard two palace maids sweeping the floor talking in hushed tones.

Shen Qingwan's steps suddenly stopped.

"Have you heard? Everyone in the palace is talking about something right now."

"You're not talking about Consort Rong's child killing Consort De's child, are you?"

"What Consort Rong? She's Consort Ying now, and Consort De is Consort Song. You can't just call her that, or someone will hear you and slap you." "Speaking of which, Consort Song is pitiful. She was originally a consort. Even if she hadn't given birth to a prince, even if it had been a princess, she could have been promoted to Imperial Noble Consort or something. But now, not only is her child gone, but she's also gone mad. Do you think it's possible that Consort Ying's child really killed Consort Song?"

"It's hard to say. In the past, we often heard stories of people being killed by being hit in the head. The palace was haunted a few days ago. This is very strange."

"Haunted? Wasn't it said that Consort Chun disguised herself as Consort Li on the anniversary of Consort Li's death, which drove Consort Song insane?"

"Consort Song and Consort Chun have lived together for so long. Even if she were to disguise herself as Consort Li, or even as a ghost, would Consort De not recognize her? Just because I change my clothes doesn't mean you won't recognize me. So this matter is suspicious."

"Now that you mention it, there's some truth to it. Could there really be something sinister going on in the palace?"

"..."

Shen Qingwan's clear cough interrupted their conversation.

"How dare you! Instead of doing your work properly, you're stirring up trouble here. The Empress is coming, and you don't even bow? Have you forgotten all the rules of the palace?" Zhen'er took a step forward and scolded.

Perhaps feeling the cold weather, and knowing that almost no one would come to the Imperial Garden at this time, the two young palace maids chatted about palace affairs while they worked.

They never dreamed that the Empress would hear every single word they said.

The two were so frightened that they dropped their brooms and knelt on the ground, trembling all over.

"This servant deserves to die, this servant deserves to die, please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, spare my life! This servant will never dare to do it again..."

Two young palace maids knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, leaving a mottled bloodstain on the cold cobblestone path.

"Are the ladies in the palace people to be discussed behind their backs at will? Since you know you're wrong, why do you say it?" Shen Qingwan's eyes darkened.

"Your Majesty, please spare me! This servant knows she was wrong..."

"Thirty slaps to the face, a six-month salary deduction; the head maid of the Imperial Garden failed to properly discipline her servants, a three-month salary deduction."

"This servant thanks Your Majesty for your concern."

Without pausing for a second after speaking, Shen Qingwan turned and walked towards Kunning Palace.

Back at Kunning Palace, Shen Qingwan couldn't help but shiver; after being out for so long, the hot water bottle in her hand had long since cooled down.

Zhen'er brewed a bowl of osmanthus tea. Shen Qingwan took a big sip, and instantly a warm current spread throughout her body. Zhen'er then placed a different hot water bottle in Shen Qingwan's hand.

"You should all go and have some hot tea to warm yourselves up," Shen Qingwan said, turning to the palace servants who had just gone to Cining Palace with her.

"Your Majesty, I am not cold. It is Your Majesty who is feeling cold because you have not been properly recuperating since recovering from a serious illness. Why don't you summon Physician Zhang to take a look and prescribe some medicine to dispel the cold, so as not to catch a chill?"

Shen Qingwan shook her head. She wasn't that delicate. She had just strolled around the Imperial Garden and it was already causing a scene that required calling the imperial physician.

However, looking at the maids who were with her today, their complexions seemed to be no different from usual, and they did not appear to be very cold.

She's actually a little... unwell!

Zhen'er watched as she finished her osmanthus tea and then poured her another bowl. "Your Highness, do you think what those two palace maids said was true? But I've heard people talk about kowtowing before."

(End of this chapter)