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

Chapter 197 Resistance
"Yes." Su Tianhe accepted the order and left Kunning Palace with his men.

"Zhen'er, didn't you hear someone say this in the palace this morning? Go and bring those two people here with you. Interrogate them together. As long as they confess who told them this, and after the confrontation, you confirm that they are not lying, release them. You must follow the clues and find out who first told this." Shen Qingwan instructed earnestly.

"Yes," Zhen'er replied with an extremely serious expression.

Su Tianhe led his men to Ruan Changzai's palace.

Having not slept all night, Consort Ruan was now lying on the bed. She closed her eyes but could not fall asleep. The Emperor had so rarely chosen her name, and she thought her favor was about to begin, but she did not expect that her favor had come to an end.

In the imperial harem, anyone would probably lose sleep over such a situation.

Upon hearing the sound, she hurriedly got out of bed, and her face turned ashen when she saw Su Tianhe.

"Eunuch Su, why have you come in person? Does Her Majesty the Empress have any instructions?" Ruan Changzai paused and continued, "...Why...so many people have come?"

"Replying to Consort Ruan," Su Tianhe bowed before continuing, "After the harem today, some unfavorable rumors about the Emperor surfaced. When the Emperor dined with the Empress today, he brought up this matter and was furious, ordering the Empress to investigate thoroughly. I would like to trouble Consort Ruan to grant me permission to take your people to Kunning Palace for questioning. If there is nothing wrong, I will send them back to Consort Ruan later, so that Consort Ruan will not be without anyone to serve her."

emperor……

"Could Eunuch Su please tell me what exactly happened?" Ruan Changzai's face visibly paled. "Could Eunuch Su have taken all my people from the palace away like this? I'm really scared."

"I'm sorry, Consort, before I came to Jingyang Palace, Her Majesty the Empress specifically instructed me that this matter concerns the Emperor, and it should not be made public before the private affair is thoroughly investigated."

Shouldn't this be kept quiet?

Ruan Changzai's vision went black, his legs went weak, and he almost lost his balance.

Su Tianhe waved his hand at the people behind him, and all of Ruan Changzai's servants in the palace were taken away.

From a distance, Consort Xian took in the entire scene.

Normally, if someone from Consort Ruan's palace were brought in for questioning, she would have been overjoyed and ready to set off firecrackers. But at this moment, she couldn't feel happy at all; instead, she felt a strange sense of panic in her heart.

"Xia Fuchuan."

"Miss."

"Go and find someone to find out what happened to Consort Ruan in the palace. Why did Su Tianhe bring so many people here and take away all the servants from her palace?" Consort Xian said solemnly.

"Perhaps it has something to do with what happened last night. The Emperor didn't call for water all night. Maybe Consort Ruan did something against the rules that displeased the Emperor."

Xia Fuchuan's words did not comfort Consort Xian; instead, they made her expression even more serious.

“No, I feel like something’s not right. If Consort Ruan had angered the Emperor, then it should have been Wu Jixiang who took away Consort Ruan’s people from the palace. Now that Su Tianhe has come, it means that this was the Empress’s idea. Why would the Empress take away Consort Ruan’s people from the palace for no reason?” Consort Xian had a strong feeling that this matter was not so simple.

"Your Majesty, if you ask me, you've been thinking about too many things lately. Whether it's Wu Jixiang or Su Tianhe, is it the Empress's idea or the Emperor's idea? The harem isn't under the Empress's control anymore, so naturally it's people from the Empress's palace who are coming to take people away."

Xia Fuchuan moved his lips, intending to persuade Consort Xian to go back to her room and rest, and to let go of matters that were none of their concern. He watched from afar as Su Tianhe led his men toward them. Consort Xian and Xia Fuchuan exchanged a glance and hurriedly came out of the palace.

Consort Xian even smiled at the people of Kunning Palace, a rare sight for her. "Eunuch Su, what mistake has Consort Ruan made that requires your personal visit?"

Did Nguyen Chang-jae make a mistake?
Su Tianhe's eyes trembled slightly, and the corners of his lips curved with a hint of sarcasm. "Greetings, Consort Xian. This servant greets Consort Xian."

"You're too kind, Eunuch Su," Consort Xian said leisurely. "If you've finished your duties, please go back and report to Her Majesty the Empress as soon as possible, so as not to keep Her Majesty waiting."

"No rush." ​​Su Tianhe's expression relaxed slightly. "The task isn't finished yet."

Not finished?

Consort Xian's lips stiffened, and her heart beat even faster. "Then... Eunuch Su, is there something you need my help with?"

"No need for help, but this servant is under orders from the Emperor and the Empress to take the servants from the Empress's palace to Kunning Palace for questioning."

"Take away the servants from my palace?" Consort Xian's eyes trembled. "May I ask, Your Excellency, what wrong have the servants from my palace done that warrants their removal?"

"Replying to Consort Xian, this servant is acting on imperial orders. As for what mistake I made, this servant does not know. This servant only knows that Her Majesty the Empress ordered this servant to bring the person back, and this servant has brought the person back, and this task is now complete." Su Tianhe bowed and saluted.

"Outrageous!" Consort Xian's eyes suddenly darkened. "Eunuch Su, what do you take my Jingyang Palace for? You think you can just take people away like that? Do you think anyone can just come and interrogate the people of my Jingyang Palace?"

“Your Majesty, this servant is acting on imperial orders. Although this matter is being handled by this servant, it is still the Emperor’s command. If Your Majesty wishes to disobey the imperial order, then this servant will go back and report immediately.” Su Tianhe did not back down at all, and straightened up as soon as he finished speaking.

I watched him turn to leave.

Xia Fuchuan quickly stepped forward and blocked his way. "Why is Eunuch Su angry? Eunuch Su has misunderstood our lady's meaning. How could our lady disobey the Emperor and Empress's orders? Our lady is just worried about her servant and wants to know where Eunuch Su is taking this person."

Su Tianhe turned around. "Her Majesty the Empress sent me to bring people here, so naturally I'm taking them to Kunning Palace."

His answer was concise and to the point, with not a single superfluous word. Xia Fuchuan couldn't help but swallow hard before glancing at Consort Xian.

Who would dare disobey the Emperor's decree? With her current status, she has no choice but to obey even the Empress, let alone the Emperor.

However, Su Tianhe went to Ruan Changzai's place first before coming to her, thus bypassing Consort Wen.

It's probably still related to the fight she had with Consort Ruan in the palace last time. She's already been demoted, so even if there's any further punishment, it'll probably just go to Consort Ruan.

Consort Xian nodded to Su Tianhe.

Su Tianhe gestured for him to come with him, saying, "Please, Eunuch Xia, come with me."

(End of this chapter)