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

Chapter 300 Crime
Shen Qingwan was taken aback. "It seems this isn't the first time His Majesty has asked me such a question."

"Hmm." Emperor Yuanwu looked up at her with great certainty. "I am curious why the Empress, who was born in a land of fish and rice, is always particularly interested in some northern ingredients."

Shen Qingwan's brow twitched imperceptibly. The original owner of this body was indeed from Jiangnan, but she was a true northerner. Some things are ingrained in one's bones. No matter how tempting the food is, it can't resist the taste of the hometown food that she has eaten since childhood. Otherwise, why would she have the saying "Grandma's dishes"?

“Your Majesty’s view seems to be incorrect,” Shen Qingwan said righteously. “Take cilantro, for example. Many people don’t eat it. This shouldn’t be a matter of North or South. If you don’t like it, you just don’t like it, no matter how delicious it is. Take candied hawthorn, for instance. It’s a traditional snack in the North, but children in the South love it. Since it’s a delicacy, how can it be divided into North and South?”

Emperor Yuanwu nodded thoughtfully. Although... what the Empress said seemed to make some sense, something also seemed off.

Seeing that Emperor Yuanwu had not completely dispelled his doubts, Shen Qingwan said, "Also, Your Majesty said before that the chili peppers I made were spicy. People in the South don't eat spicy food; only people in the North eat spicy food."

Emperor Yuanwu looked on in astonishment, "Isn't that right?"

"Of course not," Shen Qingwan said firmly. "Many places in the south are very humid, and they rely on eating spicy food to expel the dampness from their bodies. Some of the spiciness in the south is too much for northerners to handle. Rather than saying that there is a difference between the north and south in food, Your Majesty should say that people have different tastes. I just thought that I could try all kinds of food from all over the world, so that this trip would not be in vain..."

Shen Qingwan swallowed the last word "行" and changed it to "生".

Looking at Emperor Yuanwu's expression, Shen Qingwan seemed to have been convinced. Her explanation sounded somewhat forced, and she couldn't think of any other excuse to get away with it.

While the two were talking, the imperial kitchen had already delivered the prepared food.

This time, it wasn't just delivered; Gundam himself delivered it.

Consort Xian's rise and fall were clearly due to the influence of the Pang family. Gao Da, who had been dominating the harem for so many years, was now feeling extremely uneasy.

Seeing Emperor Yuanwu, she just rushed forward, so eager to show herself off. The more Shen Qingwan looked at her, the more it seemed like she was rushing to her death.

Gao Da, with a fawning expression, his obsequiousness even stronger than the aroma of the food, said, "Your Majesty, this servant has prepared all the dishes you like. Please enjoy your meal, this servant will now take his leave."

Emperor Yuanwu didn't even raise his eyes; he simply looked down at the recipe Shen Qingwan had given him.

Gao Da kept calling out to Emperor Yuanwu, but since Emperor Yuanwu didn't speak, it was naturally none of her business as the empress. The small kitchen also brought over a few other dishes that had been prepared. Shen Qingwan went to the side to prepare the dipping sauce for the white meat.

Gao Da looked up at Wu Jixiang with a slightly embarrassed expression. Who was Wu Jixiang? If he didn't even have this much sense, what kind of chief eunuch would he be? Emperor Yuanwu ignored him, so Wu Jixiang naturally wouldn't pay any attention to him either.

Gao Da's forehead was covered with a layer of fine sweat. He had originally wanted to take the opportunity of delivering food to Emperor Yuanwu to make a good impression on him.

On weekdays, the emperor usually has his lunch in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, a place where he has no opportunity to get close to the emperor.

Evening meals were served in the palaces of the various concubines. These concubines had finally received the emperor's favor, and their servants surrounded the palace where Emperor Yuanwu and their concubines were staying, making it impossible for them to even taste the food. They didn't even have a chance to enter the main hall because they were blocked by the concubines' personal maids.

Having finally seized this opportunity, Gao Da wondered what the Emperor was so engrossed in, showing no sign of paying him any attention. His eyes darted around, and with a determined heart, he simply repeated what he had just said, raising his voice, "Your Majesty, this servant has prepared all your favorite dishes. Please enjoy your meal; this servant will now take his leave."

Perhaps because his voice was too loud, Emperor Yuanwu finally reacted this time. He slowly placed the menu that Shen Qingwan had written on the table before looking down at the person kneeling on the ground. "Lord Gao, do you know where you are right now?"

where is it?
Gao Da was stunned. He looked up at the main hall, then at Shen Qingwan, Zhen'er, and Su Tianhe behind her, and said without understanding, "It is... Kunning Palace."

He couldn't figure out what Emperor Yuanwu meant for a moment, but he felt uneasy.

Mr. Gao?
Why did Emperor Yuanwu suddenly address him in this way? Was he also affected when Consort Xian was confined to her quarters?
"The emperor..."

Gao Da moved his lips, wanting to say something in his defense, but then he saw Emperor Yuanwu's eyes darken. "Take him away and slap him thirty times."

Not to mention Gao Da was stunned, even Shen Qingwan was taken aback when she heard that Emperor Yuanwu had dealt with him like this.

Wu Jixiang winked at the guards who came in, signaling them to take the man away quickly, lest his crying disturb the Emperor and Empress's ears.

But no matter how fast the guard was, he couldn't outrun Gao Da's mouth. His cries were almost broken, "Your Majesty, this servant knows his mistake, please spare my life..."

Do you know you are wrong?
Emperor Yuanwu raised his hand, and the guards' dragging motion stopped instantly.

"Then tell me, where did you go wrong?" Emperor Yuanwu's eyes were deep and full of anger.

Gao Da was completely dumbfounded by the question. Usually, if someone made a mistake, as long as they took the initiative to admit it and did so with a good attitude, their master might be pleased and the matter would be over. Who would care what they did wrong, how they did it, or where they went wrong?

"This……"

Gao Da panicked. He had no idea what he had done wrong, let alone why Emperor Yuanwu had asked him that question.

He was filled with remorse at that moment, wishing he could slap himself hard. In the harem, the most taboo thing was talking too much. As the saying goes, the more you talk, the more mistakes you make.

He wanted to slap himself. When Emperor Yuanwu ignored him, he could have just left on his own. Why did he have to go looking for trouble and repeat what he had said before?

"Can't explain it?" Emperor Yuanwu lowered his narrow eyes, a hint of coldness creeping into them. "Then should I tell you?"

Gao Da dared not utter a word. He was trembling with fear, sweat pouring down his face. "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, this servant truly knows his mistake. Your Majesty, please forgive me. This servant deserves to die, this servant deserves to die..."

He dared not wait for the emperor to list his crimes one by one; he was only thinking...