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

Chapter 180 The Empress Takes Charge
Shen Qingwan didn't speak, she just looked at her quietly.

It took Consort Xian a while to recover from her shock. "Your Majesty, are you saying that you want to demote me?"

Shen Qingwan maintained a polite smile. "Is there a problem?"

What's the problem?
Consort Xian slowly stood up from the ground, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Your Majesty, my rank as a consort was personally bestowed by the Emperor. What right do you have to demote it so easily?"

"What right do I have?" Shen Qingwan's eyes flashed coldly. "Just because I am the Empress, I have the right to demote you for violating palace rules. You say your rank as a concubine was personally bestowed by the Emperor? Tell me, in this entire harem, which concubine's rank wasn't personally bestowed by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager? Are you, Consort Xian, the only one who is superior to others?"

Consort Xian's face had lost all color, and her whole body swayed involuntarily. "I only hit a Noble Lady, why have you demoted me? I want to see the Emperor!"

"Okay." Shen Qingwan leaned back in her chair calmly. Her languid posture revealed no emotion. The setting sun shone on her beautiful face, making her as pretty as a peach blossom in spring and as pure as a chrysanthemum in autumn.

Since Consort Xian is going to invite Emperor Yuanwu, it's not her going to do it, nor is it anyone from her palace going to do it. So, it can only be the people from Jingyang Palace who go to invite him.

Xia Mei and Xia Fuchuan exchanged a glance. Xia Mei silently left Jingyang Palace and headed towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Emperor Yuanwu was troubled by the situation in Lingnan. A report from Lingnan said that after the general arrived in Lingnan, he ate and lived with the soldiers and enjoyed himself with the people. The people of Lingnan all admired the great general's reputation and even forgot that there was an emperor in the previous dynasty.

If he could act this way during times of war, it would naturally be because he has won the hearts of the people and can better protect the territory. But now, in this peaceful and prosperous era, the general is still acting this way. Besides being too deliberate, he probably has other thoughts. To win the world, one must first win the hearts of the people. The people of Lingnan all admire him. If he were to recruit soldiers in Lingnan and rebel, the people of Lingnan would probably help him cover it up. Originally, transferring him from the frontier to Lingnan was a demotion in disguise, meant to curb his arrogance. But unexpectedly, he actually took the initiative to do this, clearly showing it to the emperor.

When Emperor Yuanwu saw Wu Jixiang lead Xia Mei in, his brow furrowed slightly, almost imperceptibly. "Are you Consort Xian's personal maid?"

"Your Majesty, it is indeed this servant." Xia Mei knelt on the ground, not daring to raise her head.

Emperor Yuanwu snorted coldly, "What is it?"

"Your Majesty, when Consort Xian returned from outside the palace today, she saw Consort Ruan in the courtyard. Consort Xian was probably in a bad mood at the time, so she said a few unpleasant words and got into an argument with Consort Ruan. She even hit Consort Ruan. Consort Ruan was furious and started fighting with Consort Xian. In the end, the Empress was alerted. After learning the whole story, the Empress was furious and punished both consorts. She also demoted Consort Xian from her rank of Consort to the rank of Concubine..." Xia Mei paused here, somewhat fearfully, "...to the rank of Consort."

Demoted to the rank of concubine?

Emperor Yuanwu thought the first part was alright, but the latter part...

Although he harbored a thousand and one grievances against the General, in the end, Consort Xian had not done anything wrong in the harem.

He simply didn't want her position as Empress Dowager in the harem to become a shield for the Great General on the front lines. However, for those below the rank of Consort, Emperor Yuanwu had never entertained such a thought.

This matter stunned Wu Jixiang for a moment before he turned to look at Emperor Yuanwu and asked, "Your Majesty, would you like to go and take a look at Jingyang Palace?"

Emperor Yuanwu's gaze deepened. "Where is the Empress now?"

"Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress is still waiting at Jingyang Palace," Xia Mei reported truthfully. The Empress was waiting at Jingyang Palace, but the one who came to invite him was Consort Xian's personal maid. Presumably, Consort Xian couldn't accept the Empress's punishment and wanted him to come and support her.

If he really goes, the news will quickly reach the front lines, and I'm afraid it will be used by her great general father to spread the word freely in Lingnan.

To put it nicely, it's because his precious daughter is highly favored in the harem; to put it bluntly, isn't it a case of favoring a concubine over one's wife, and half the world belonging to the Pang family?

"Since the Empress has already made her decision, why would she need me to come over? The Empress can handle matters in the inner palace; I'm busy with the affairs of the court." Emperor Yuanwu waved his hand, turned to the side, picked up another memorial, and continued to read it.

Wu Jixiang looked at Xia Mei kneeling on the ground and said, "Aunt Xia Mei, the Emperor has already spoken. There's no use in you kneeling here any longer. Go back and report."

Xia Mei knelt on the ground and kowtowed, "This servant obeys."

Consort Xian seemed certain that the Emperor would come. Let alone such a big matter, even if it were a trivial matter, as long as it concerned her, Emperor Yuanwu would come. Moreover, today's incident had caused such a stir. Who was this Shen Qingwan? She had been married to Emperor Yuanwu for so many years, and she hadn't even slept with him, let alone had a child. Yet she dared to demote her rank. Even if she had started this incident, it shouldn't have warranted her being demoted to the rank of Consort.

But when she saw Xia Mei walk in alone from the gate of Jingyang Palace, her heart skipped a beat for a moment.

Consort Xian took two steps toward Xia Mei. Her expectant expression stiffened. In truth, she knew that since the Emperor hadn't come with Xia Mei, he might not come at all. But she still asked, unwilling to give up.

"Why didn't the Emperor come with you? When you went to see him, what did he say? Did he say when he would be arriving?"

Xia Mei shook her head, "Your Majesty, the Emperor said..."

"What are you saying? Are you trying to drive me crazy with your stammering?" Consort Xian took a deep breath, her face grim.

Xia Mei knelt on the ground, and her voice was a pitch higher than before. Her voice was not loud, but it was enough for everyone in the Jingyang Palace to hear clearly: "His Majesty said that since the Empress has made a decision, he will not come. The Empress will be in charge of the affairs of the inner palace, and His Majesty is busy with the court."

what?
Consort Xian's vision went black, and she nearly collapsed to the ground, asking incredulously, "What did you say?"

"Your Majesty." Xia Mei knelt on the ground, sobbing, and kowtowed several times. "Your Majesty, it's all my fault. I was the one who couldn't invite the Emperor."

Consort Xian lay on the ground, staring blankly into the distance, her gaze unfocused.

Shen Qingwan then slowly straightened up. "Those in Jingyang Palace who fail to persuade their master will be fined one month's salary."

After saying that, she rode away in her sleigh.

Shen Qingwan did not rest after returning to Kunning Palace. Instead, she prepared some homemade snacks and went to Cining Palace.

(End of this chapter)