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

Chapter 203 Guilty Conscience
Shen Qingwan, that bitch!

Consort Xian gritted her teeth and said, word by word, "Your Majesty, you summoned all the servants of my Jingyang Palace to Kunning Palace for such a trivial matter. Isn't that making a mountain out of a molehill?"

"A trivial matter?" Shen Qingwan sneered. "Consort Xian, the Emperor has barely left and you've already started speaking rudely. If you consider even slandering the Emperor a trivial matter, then what important matters are there in the harem?"

"Empress, when did I slander the Emperor?" Consort Xian asked angrily.

"If it's not slander, then let me use another word: defamation? false accusation? slander? Use whichever you like."

Consort Xian: ...

Shen Qingwan looked at her chest heaving with anger, smiled faintly, and continued, "But judging from how scared and flustered you were just now, it seems that Xia Fuchuan probably knows a lot about what you did before."

"You..." Consort Xian was on the verge of a breakdown.

younger sister?

What sister?
Shen Qingwan was several years younger than her, and calling her "little sister" repeatedly sounded like she was mocking her.

If she were younger, it would be fine to call her that.

It was precisely because of her low rank.

If it weren't for her having someone stage this auspicious cloud and phoenix incident, the Empress's position should have been hers!
But now...

It's all her fault, it's all Shen Qingwan's fault. She ruined her life so badly. How come that serious illness didn't kill her? Ever since she recovered from her illness, she's been going against her and causing her trouble at every turn.

"Consort Xian, I hope you will always remember your place. When you address me, call me 'Your Majesty' instead of 'you.' Today I can get your people in the palace to speak, and tomorrow I can get those around you to speak too. If you can behave yourself in the harem, I will let you live in peace. But if what happened today happens again, not only will I take all your people away, but I will also dig up every inch of Jingyang Palace to find out everything you have done. I can't guarantee whether you will still be able to hold onto your consort position then." Shen Qingwan spoke softly, fiddling with her nails as she spoke leisurely.

But these seemingly casual words were like a sharp blade, piercing Consort Xian's heart.

She was so angry that she trembled, but dared not utter a word in rebuttal; she could only kowtow and express her gratitude.

"Alright, I'm exhausted after a whole day of this. Since His Majesty has come in person, you may take the rest of Consort Xian away, except for those few servants who confessed." After saying this, Shen Qingwan stood up and turned to walk towards the palace without waiting for Consort Xian to speak.

According to palace rules, after she finished speaking, Consort Xian was supposed to express her gratitude, but she disdained such insincere gratitude and felt that hearing it would only offend her ears.

Instead of wasting time listening to her say things against her conscience, she should think about what to have for dinner. After all, she had been busy all day and wanted to treat herself and the people in Kunning Palace to a good meal.

"I'm in a good mood today. Zhen'er, go tell the imperial kitchen that I want sweet and sour fish, yam soup, braised pork with abalone for dinner. It would be best to also have some light side dishes, otherwise the combination of sweet and sour fish and braised pork is too greasy," Shen Qingwan said earnestly.

Zhen'er: ...

"Your Highness, it's already this late, why are you still thinking about what to have for dinner?" Zhen'er's face was full of worry, as if she were the one being interrogated today.

"At this time? When? Seeing Consort Xian's pale face, do you feel uncomfortable?" Shen Qingwan turned around and touched Zhen'er's hair. "Back then, when you were on your way to fetch the imperial physician for me in the middle of the night, if Prince Rui hadn't run into you, you would probably have died at her hands long ago. I have never forgotten this debt." Zhen'er suddenly raised her head, her worried eyes filled with shock.

It turns out that the Empress had been making trouble for Consort Xian not because she was jealous of Consort Xian, but because she wanted to vent her anger on her behalf.

you do not say!

Among those favored in the harem today, Consort Xian is no longer among them. It's all because she was too stupid; she couldn't even understand something so simple.

Zhen'er was so moved that tears streamed down her face, "Your Majesty..."

"Alright, go tell the kitchen to stew a few chickens for dinner, as an extra dish for you. All the servants in Kunning Palace will receive one silver ingot each as a reward for today."

Shen Qingwan has always been generous to the people in the palace. She figured she would never be able to leave this palace in her lifetime. The storerooms were full of gold and silver, which she couldn't take with her when she died. Who knows, she might have to go back to the palace someday.

It would be better to reward the subordinates. She always believed in the saying that money makes the world go round. Only when the money is right will the servants be more attentive.

People are not killed for their own sake.

Zhen'er wiped away her tears, laughing and crying at the same time. "Your Majesty, when you told the Emperor that Eunuch Xia confessed, I was so scared that my soul almost flew away. Eunuch Xia clearly didn't confess to anything. Luckily, the Emperor left first. If he had really investigated, I'm afraid that Your Majesty's original reason would no longer be reasonable, and Consort Xian would even accuse you of deceiving the Emperor."

"Deceive the emperor?" Shen Qingwan smiled helplessly. "I did not deceive the emperor. What did you ask Xia Fuchuan when you brought him in just now?"

Zhen'er thought about it seriously, "When Eunuch Xia went in just now, Su Tianhe asked him when he would start his new job?"

"Did he tell the truth?" Shen Qingwan asked in return.

Zhen'er nodded thoughtfully, "He confessed. He gave a detailed account of his shifts over the past ten days. He was on night duty the day Consort Ruan served the Emperor, and he also accompanied Consort Xian to pay her respects to Your Majesty the following day."

“That’s right.” Shen Qingwan smiled with relief. “You asked him, and he did, so he confessed. As for what he confessed to, I didn’t mention a word. Consort Xian was so scared that she was scared out of her wits. It just means that she has done too many bad things. Anyone could take her life. She’s just feeling guilty.”

Zhen'er was speechless for a long time, which was really amazing!

She used to worry that her mistress would be bullied, but now it seems that even the most difficult Consort Xian in the harem is being manipulated by her. How come she never realized before that her mistress is so smart!

She's just being foolish!
"Your Highness, this servant will go and prepare the meal immediately."

After Shen Qingwan left, Consort Xian got up from the ground. Perhaps because she had been kneeling for too long, not only did her back hurt, but her knees also felt a dense, needle-like pain.

She lost her balance as she stood up and almost fell back down, just then a palace maid next to her reached out and steadied her. "Consort Xian, are you alright?"

Consort Xian showed no gratitude whatsoever. Instead, she quickly withdrew her arm and pushed away the kind maid who had come to help her, saying, "Get out of my way."

(End of this chapter)