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

Chapter 2 A Completely Different Person
Emperor Yuanwu turned his head in shock.

Has the empress lost her mind?

They even managed to say that Consort Xian was wronged and that Consort De was instigated.

This is better than her previous ones.

"Take them all out and behead them."

"Give them all death! Give them all death to me!"

"Kill them all, leave no one alive, kill them all for me."

"..."

— Much more normal now.

It's not just that he's much more normal, it's like he's a completely different person.

Emperor Yuanwu was momentarily at a loss. He glanced at the food plate and said, "Crabs are cold in nature. The Empress is not yet fully recovered and should eat less. I still have memorials to review, so I will not stay to dine with the Empress."

Shen Qingwan curtsied: "Respectfully seeing off Your Majesty."

Emperor Yuanwu took two steps, then couldn't help but turn back and glance at Shen Qingwan.

Shen Qingwan had already sat back down in front of the food plate, carefully cutting a crab leg with gold-inlaid jade scissors.

Emperor Yuanwu:...

Emperor Yuanwu had just left when Zhen'er couldn't contain her impatience. "Your Majesty, the Emperor only comes to Kunning Palace once every few months. Why didn't you invite him to dine with us?"

She thought to herself that the Empress shouldn't have eaten crabs, but ultimately didn't dare to say it aloud.

"These crabs are only enough for me to eat."

Zhen'er: ...

Shen Qingwan slurped up a crab leg, feeling that the sauce prepared by the imperial kitchen was lacking something: "Go, get me some white sugar."

When Emperor Yuanwu was still a prince, he already had three concubines in his household, namely the current Consort De, Consort Xian, and Consort Shu, as well as several maids.

In fact, Emperor Yuanwu preferred Consort Xian to be the Empress.

Consort Xian was gentle and sensible, and her father was the General Zhenyuan.

Emperor Yuanwu made the original owner his empress for a very simple reason.

When the original owner was born, auspicious clouds filled the sky.

Just then, a monk happened to pass by and casually said, "Auspicious clouds riding phoenixes."

He does not mean that.

Upon hearing of this, the Empress Dowager requested the late Emperor to grant her the marriage.

But at that time, the original owner was already engaged to Prince Rui.

The late emperor could not refuse the empress dowager's request and agreed to the marriage.

Emperor Yuanwu married the original owner of the body seven days later.

The late emperor appointed Prince Rui as crown prince, but unexpectedly Prince Rui suddenly fell seriously ill and vomited blood incessantly. Therefore, Emperor Yuanwu was appointed as crown prince instead.

The Empress Dowager had unwavering faith in the auspicious clouds and phoenixes.

After the late emperor passed away, Emperor Yuanwu ascended the throne.

The original owner relied on the Empress Dowager's protection.

In the imperial harem, he was domineering, willful, and had a particular fondness for targeting favored concubines.

However, those were all the original owners.

Shen Qingwan felt that Emperor Yuanwu was not someone who would be easily manipulated.

Even if it was the Empress Dowager's intention, he wouldn't believe the story of the auspicious clouds and phoenixes at all.

Even though they forcibly made the original owner empress, they wouldn't tolerate her having a three-year-long marriage that caused chaos in the harem, and they would still shower her with rewards.

The original owner of this body was really out of her mind!
Now, in this harem where she enjoys good food and drink and has everything done for her, Shen Qingwan just wants to give up.

If she simply behaves herself as a figurehead, Emperor Yuanwu and the Empress Dowager will likely not deliberately make things difficult for her, nor will they easily depose her.

Then what is she competing with those concubines for?
She is already the empress.

Regardless of which concubine's son ascends the throne in the future, she will always be the Holy Mother Empress Dowager.

Upon closer reflection, it was crucial to cultivate good relationships with the concubines who had sons.

Correct!
When Consort De accused Consort Xian, she spoke up for Consort Xian.

Shen Qingwan silently gave herself a thumbs up in her heart.

Well done! Shen Qingwan finished eating all the crabs on the table; it was still early.

It seems there are many more days to be spent lazing around in the harem. I need to find something to do to pass the long nights.

"Go and get me some brown sugar and tapioca flour."

Zhen'er was taken aback: "Your Majesty, your period is still a while away, why do you need brown sugar?"

Of course, it's for making bubble tea.

Shen Qingwan was pondering whether to drink black tea or green tea.

He didn't pay any attention to what Zhen'er said.

Zhen'er, seeing her serious expression, was startled and shuddered: "This servant will go get it right away."

The next morning.

Shen Qingwan took the freshly made bubble tea to Cining Palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager.

Although she had the original owner's "Auspicious Clouds and Phoenix Riding" to protect her, if she wanted to live a peaceful life in this harem, she still had to cling to the Empress Dowager's coattails.

Cining Palace is the best of the six palaces in the east and west.

The gardens of Cining Palace are filled with pine, cypress and bamboo.

The Empress Dowager was always a vegetarian and a Buddhist. Although she loved flowers, she did not allow anyone to cut down the bamboo to plant flowers and grass.

On the contrary, the sleeping quarters and main hall of Cining Palace were filled with flowers.

When Shen Qingwan arrived at Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager was having breakfast.

The Empress Dowager had only taken two bites when she began to cough violently.

"Take it down."

"Your Majesty, you've only had two bites. Please have some more. Your health isn't good to begin with, so eating so little is definitely not good," said Zhang Mama with concern.

However, the Empress Dowager waved her hand and said, "I have no appetite, so take it away for now. I want to have a word with the Empress."

The Empress Dowager insisted on not eating, so Zhang Mama had no choice but to leave.

"I have heard about what happened yesterday. Consort De is straightforward and was also instigated by others. Although Consort Xian is innocent, she caused the trouble by losing her undergarment. I have fined them three months' salary and made them copy scriptures in the palace to reflect on their mistakes. This is a small punishment to serve as a warning. What does the Empress think?"

Shen Qingwan's eyelashes trembled slightly; the Empress Dowager must have misunderstood her intentions.

The Empress Dowager, fearing that she might cause trouble again and escalate the situation, thus losing face for the royal family, preemptively told her that she had already been punished.

Shen Qingwan understood the Empress Dowager's unspoken meaning perfectly. She curtsied and said, "Your Majesty's punishment is fair and just. Your daughter-in-law has no objections."

The Empress Dowager was quite surprised that she didn't make a scene.

The two sat there quietly, and the atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward, with neither able to find anything to say for a moment.

The Empress Dowager was also terrified by the original owner's misdeeds over the years.

Since she was able to understand the bigger picture this time, the Empress Dowager bestowed the phoenix hairpin from her head upon Shen Qingwan.

She bent down to help her put it on.

Another bout of coughing.

"Has the Empress Dowager's cough always been this severe?"

"It's an old problem."

The Empress Dowager took a sip of the tea that Zhang Mama handed her.

“In previous years, the Empress Dowager’s cough was less frequent in winter and more severe in spring, but in the last two years it has become much more frequent.”

Listen to what Granny Zhang said.

Shen Qingwan's expression was somewhat indescribable.

What else could happen? It was all because the original owner of this body was angry.

If it is indeed a cough, it should be more severe in the cold winter.

However, the Empress Dowager's condition was more severe in spring than in winter, which seemed more like a pollen allergy.

"Mother, may we move the chrysanthemums in the palace to another location and see if the cough improves?"

"Your Majesty, what is the meaning behind this?"

"This……"

Shen Qingwan frowned. She didn't know anything about medicine, and whether it was a pollen allergy was just a guess. If moving these flowers could help the Empress Dowager's recovery, that would be fine; if not...

(End of this chapter)