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

Chapter 187 Consort Xian
When Xia Fuchuan told Consort Xian about this, she was sitting in front of her dressing table in her bedchamber, applying medicine to her lips in front of the bronze mirror.

This matter was originally handled by a palace maid, but Xia Mei ordered her to be flogged afterward.

The palace maids who served her were clumsy and could not please her at all. She was already in a bad mood, and the fact that they did not serve her well made her even more upset.

"Ouch..." When Consort Xian was applying the ointment, her fingernail accidentally scratched the wound, causing her to cry out in pain. Angered, she smashed the ointment on the ground. "What did you just say?"

Xia Fuchuan knelt on the ground, looking at the smashed ointment bottle, his brows furrowing deeply. "Your Majesty, the Empress just went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and invited the Emperor to dine at the Kunning Palace."

Since Consort Xian was demoted to Consort Xian, the people in Jingyang Palace have been very careful about how they address her, only calling her "Your Highness" and not using the title "Consort Xian." It's quite different from the former Consort Xian, who made people want to call her "Your Highness Consort Xian."

"Heh." Consort Xian sneered, tearing off a silk ribbon to carefully wipe her fingertips, which were stained with ointment. "What's the use of asking? It takes real skill to actually get someone to come. The Emperor hates it the most when concubines run to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to bring him tea and snacks while he's handling official business, and then summon him to their own palaces, disrupting his work. Besides, the last time the Empress went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to make a scene with the Emperor, it was because the Emperor gave me that red coral that she liked."

"Your Majesty..." Xia Fuchuan's expression went through a series of changes.

"Tell me quickly, did that bitch Shen Qingwan get the cold shoulder, or was she thrown out of the Yangxin Hall by Emperor Yuanwu's men? What was she doing this time? Did the Emperor give something to another concubine that made her unhappy..." After Consort Xian finished speaking, she threw the silk in her hand onto the dressing table with a look of disgust.

"Your Majesty, it's neither." Xia Fuchuan's forehead was covered with a fine layer of sweat, whether from anxiety or fear.

Ever since the Emperor entrusted Consort Shu with raising the Third Prince, he felt that Consort Xian's temper was getting worse and worse, and she was even somewhat capricious.

"None of those?" Consort Xian's eyes darkened as she looked at Xia Fuchuan kneeling on the ground. "Then what is it?"

"His Majesty has already gone to Kunning Palace with the Empress, and the two of them are walking back together." Xia Fuchuan's voice trembled slightly as he said the last word.

After all, when Consort Xian was ruthless, she could show no mercy even to her personal maids, punishing them with caning without asking any questions.

Moreover, he was the chief eunuch.

Consort Xian looked down on these rootless servants from the bottom of her heart.

"What?" Consort Xian jumped up from her stool. "Emperor Yuanwu went directly to Kunning Palace with the Empress? That bitch Shen Qingwan, she always says she hates the infighting in the harem, but now she's doing it herself."

She never panicked when the concubines vied for the emperor's favor, and she never panicked when Shen Qingwan demoted her rank.

Because she knew in her heart that none of the concubines' families in the harem could compare with her father's military achievements.

No matter what she did wrong, even if Emperor Yuanwu was angry with her and didn't come to her palace for several days in a row, she never panicked. She knew that as long as her father made meritorious contributions on the front lines, all her favors would come one after another. No one could compete with her, and no one had any capital to compete with her.

But the Empress is different. Whether she fights or not, she already sits in that supreme position. Even without favor, it doesn't prevent her from holding power in the harem. But if she gains favor...

Consort Xian thought of all the open and covert struggles she had had with the Empress over the years. Now, Shen Qingwan was constantly making things difficult for her. What if she were to gain Emperor Yuanwu's favor one day?

In this harem, let alone turning her life around, wouldn't she have no chance of survival?

If the Empress were to give birth to a legitimate son, not only would she be doomed, but even her third prince would be out of luck. Was Shen Qingwan possessed by a ghost?

She used to love causing chaos and disorder in the harem, so what's wrong with her now?
He survived a serious illness and even regained his brainpower?

"Your Majesty, please calm down. This servant thinks you should think of a solution." Xia Fuchuan said anxiously, "Today the Empress was able to invite the Emperor to dine at the Hall of Mental Cultivation. If the Empress keeps the Emperor in the Kunning Palace tomorrow, that will be a disaster with endless consequences."

How could Consort Xian not be aware of this?

Not to mention that the Empress kept Emperor Yuanwu in Kunning Palace, even if the Empress did not take the initiative to keep Emperor Yuanwu, according to the rules of the ancestors, Emperor Yuanwu was still required to visit the Empress's palace on the first and fifteenth of each month. In the past, Shen Qingwan could cause trouble and make a fuss, which annoyed Emperor Yuanwu, so he found all sorts of reasons to keep the Empress away. But now the Empress has learned her lesson and knows that no matter how much she makes a fuss, it is useless, so she has learned to do the opposite.

What can you think of?
What can she do?
She was just a concubine, yet she could still stop Emperor Yuanwu from going to the Empress's palace, let alone now that she wasn't even a concubine anymore.

Consort Xian grew angrier the more she thought about it. In the instant she turned around, she saw herself in the bronze mirror. Her face was contorted with rage, her hair disheveled, and she had lost all trace of her former graceful and elegant demeanor.

How did she become like this?

"Someone come here and help me with my hair and makeup!"

The moment Consort Xian finished speaking, the two palace maids standing at the palace gate exchanged a glance.

Normally, Xia Mei would take care of Consort Xian's dressing and other close-up tasks. Now that Xia Mei is still bedridden, these tasks naturally fall to second-class palace maids like them.

Even a maid like Xia Mei, who served him so closely, could be beaten by Consort Xian at will. Moreover, in their view, it was not Xia Mei's fault that she failed to invite the Emperor over.

The thirty strokes of the cane imposed on Consort Xian were indeed somewhat unsatisfactory.

Although they were terrified, they dared not disobey Consort Xian's orders and could only grit their teeth and go inside.

Perhaps out of sheer fear, one of the palace maids, while helping Consort Xian remove her first hairpin, accidentally pulled her hair.

Consort Xian winced in pain and slapped her across the face. "Useless thing, can't you even comb your own hair? Are you trying to kill me with pain?"

The young palace maid trembled with fear, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing repeatedly, "Your Highness Consort Xian, please spare me! This servant knows her mistake..."

Consort Xian...?
Such a title was like a knife, stabbing her heart deeply, causing the color to visibly drain from Consort Xian's face, leaving her pale. She slammed her hand on the dressing table beside her, and with a loud "crack," the bronze mirror on the dressing table shook violently, almost falling to the ground.

"Men, drag her away, tear her mouth apart, beat her to death with sticks, and throw her out to feed the dogs."

Xia Fuchuan's expression was solemn. He moved his lips, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately he didn't. Amidst cries and screams, the little palace maid was dragged out...

(End of this chapter)