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

Chapter 304: Rejection
In retrospect, she had oversimplified some things.

She was the Empress. Emperor Yuanwu wanted to stay overnight in Kunning Palace. Even though he had countless concubines in his harem and didn't care whether she was there or not, on the first and fifteenth of the month, when the Emperor wanted to go to Kunning Palace, with the Empress Dowager keeping watch, how could she possibly avoid it?

If she continues to be so stubborn, it's either give in or die...

Shen Qingwan wondered if she could return to her original world if she died, but what about the loyal servants who served her faithfully by her side in Kunning Palace?

They will inevitably be implicated!
She didn't want to see anyone lose their life because of her.

But... if we're talking about it, it seems like that's not something she can do either.

That night, Emperor Yuanwu slept soundly, but Shen Qingwan did not sleep a wink.

Consort Xian was also awake, just like her.

"Xia Fuchuan." This was the umpteenth time Consort Xian had drawn back her curtains. "What time is it?"

"Your Highness, it's early, around 3 AM. Would you like to sleep a little longer?"

Yin Shi.

It was indeed still early, but Consort Xian tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. She turned over, then over again, and then over once more.

After tossing and turning countless times, she suddenly lifted the bed curtains and asked Xia Fuchuan, who was on night watch, "Has His Majesty not yet come out of Kunning Palace?"

Xia Fuchuan hurriedly stood up from the ground and said with a solemn expression, "Your Majesty, after the Emperor had dinner in the Empress's palace yesterday, he has not come out since."

How can this be?

Didn't Emperor Yuanwu always dislike that vile woman?

Over the years, he has never stayed overnight in her palace. Even on the first and fifteenth of the month, after having dinner in Kunning Palace, he would go directly back to Yangxin Hall or to another concubine's palace.

Consort Xian had never felt so flustered.

She never panicked when any of the concubines gained favor, because she knew in her heart that Emperor Yuanwu's favor towards them was either because the novelty would soon wear off, or because of their maternal families. Once their maternal families were no longer of use, they would be directly abandoned.

When her father was still alive, all the families of the concubines who competed with her for the emperor's favor in the harem met with bad ends.

Just like Consort Jin...

But the Empress is different. Her position has nothing to do with her maternal family, as no one from her maternal family holds an official position in the court.

Her children are different too.

No matter when she gave birth to the prince, he was a legitimate son.

You must know that in their Yuan Kingdom, the succession to the throne is based on the eldest son, not the most virtuous, and the legitimate heir, not the eldest son. Wouldn't the position of crown prince be reserved for the son of the empress?
What is that eldest son, Jiang Wenlan? He's the child of a deceased concubine, raised in a free-range manner, without even a foster mother, and always surrounded by a group of servants.

If she didn't have a legitimate son, her third prince would still have hope, but...

But now, even her father, who once protected her, is gone. What can she possibly use to compete with them?!

As Consort Xian thought about it, she couldn't help but cry.

"Your Majesty," Xia Fuchuan hurriedly came over to comfort her, "Why are you so sad so early in the morning? Did you have a nightmare?"

Nightmare?

What do nightmares mean to her now?
Nightmares can be forgotten once you wake up, but what she faces now is the Jingyang Palace with its four sides of sky and endless, sunless walls.

Having finally reached the position of Imperial Concubine, why does she still not feel noble at all, and see no hope at all?

"Xia Fuchuan."

Consort Xian sat on the bed, staring blankly at the wall with the window. The window was closed, and she could only see outside through a small crack. The sky outside was gray and gloomy, and despair, like a deadly poison, spread along her line of sight to a withered branch outside the window.

"Your Majesty, what are your orders?" Xia Fuchuan bent down and stood by the bedside, looking at her tearful and disappointed face, and followed her gaze to the window.

Consort Xian shook her head, raising her hand to wipe away the tears on her cheeks. "Tell me, does the Emperor intend to confine me to Jingyang Palace forever, never wanting to see me again, and never letting me out?"

"What are you saying, Your Highness? You must have had a bad night's sleep last night, which is why you're overthinking things this morning. His Majesty has only ordered you to stay in Jingyang Palace for three months. Once the time is up, he will naturally release you. Perhaps in a couple of days, His Majesty's anger will subside, and he will remember you, and the confinement will be lifted." Xia Fuchuan comforted her.

"Remember me? Will the Emperor still remember me?" Consort Xian smiled self-deprecatingly, tears welling in her eyes. "Now that he's staying in Kunning Palace, will he still remember me?"

Xia Fuchuan sighed inwardly, "No matter what, the Empress is still the Empress. From ancient times to the present, there has never been a reason for the Emperor not to visit the Empress's palace or spend the night there. Your Majesty should put your mind at ease about such matters."

Now that Emperor Yuanwu has spent the night at the Empress's residence, it's likely that such incidents will only increase in the future. Once favor is bestowed, as long as the Empress doesn't make any mistakes, it will only come in droves. Not to mention the ancestral rules on the first and fifteenth of the month, there's also the Empress Dowager's pressure. If Consort Xian gets stuck on this matter, then she will face even more difficult days in the future...

However, he only dared to think such thoughts in his heart and did not dare to say them out loud.

Consort Xian remained silent, only shaking her head while crying and laughing.

Xia Fuchuan looked at her with a complicated expression. Now that General Pang was gone and the Pang family had fallen, Consort Xian was like standing on the edge of a cliff. One wrong step and she would fall into an abyss. If she also fell, then he, the chief eunuch who had been by her side for so many years, would surely die.

"Your Majesty, there is something I am unsure whether I should say, but I am afraid that Your Majesty will be displeased if you hear it." Xia Fuchuan paused here, and looked up at Consort Xian cautiously.

She slightly raised the corners of her mouth, her voice tinged with self-mockery, "Could anything be worse than this? It's already at its worst."

Consort Xian sighed, "Speak, I won't blame you."

Even though Consort Xian said she wouldn't blame her, Xia Fuchuan still struggled for a while before speaking, "Why doesn't Your Highness find a beautiful young woman from your clan and introduce her to the palace? If she can gain the Emperor's favor, perhaps Your Highness's life will improve as well."

"What?" Consort Xian's breath hitched, her eyes widening in shock. "What are you saying? You want to send a woman to the Emperor's bed? Xia Fuchuan, are you tired of living?"

Xia Fuchuan turned pale with fright and knelt on the ground.

He knew that Consort Xian would be angry upon hearing these words, otherwise he wouldn't have hesitated for so long before daring to say them. He was afraid that Consort Xian wouldn't even give him a chance to explain and would punish him directly.