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

Chapter 309 Morning Fatigue
Emperor Yuanwu pondered for a moment and said, "You seem to really like the Empress?"

These words sent chills down the spines of everyone standing in the Imperial Garden. Wu Jixiang put away his whisk and was about to kneel.

"Whoever Father Emperor likes, I will like too. Father Emperor likes the Empress, so naturally I like the Empress as well, and I am willing to heed the Empress's teachings," Jiang Wenlan said loudly.

Emperor Yuanwu's eyes flashed with a cold sharpness, yet he smiled, "Why do you think I like the Empress?"

"Father has many concubines, but only the Empress. If she were not someone Father liked, he would certainly not have made her your wife, to hold the Phoenix Seal and be the mother of the nation."

Emperor Yuanwu stared at Jiang Wenlan for a long while, then suddenly smiled.

Sometimes he felt that Jiang Wenlan was more mature than other children his age, and sometimes he felt that he was simple-minded. After thinking about it, he was just a seven-year-old child.

"What time is it? Hurry up and go to the study. If you can't recite your lessons, you'll be punished by your teacher. Do you think you won't be punished if you're late?" Emperor Yuanwu's voice turned stern.

"Being late will result in being punished by the master, so I will take my leave." After saying this, Jiang Wenlan scrambled to his feet and ran towards the direction of the prince's residence.

He had only taken two steps when his foot slipped and he almost fell, but luckily the eunuch beside him caught him.

Emperor Yuanwu's expression darkened, and he turned and took a step.

Wu Jixiang was taken aback, then quickly followed. He breathed a long sigh of relief and turned to look in the direction Jiang Wenlan had left. Just then, Jiang Wenlan also stopped and looked in his direction.

The moment their eyes met in mid-air, Jiang Wenlan's lips curved into a slight smile.

At the same time, the concubines who came to pay their respects to the Empress also received a letter from Kunning Palace saying that Her Majesty the Empress was tired this morning and that her morning greetings would be waived.

Feeling tired upon waking?

Consort Rou had just come out of Zhongcui Palace when she heard the eunuch's announcement, and her face suddenly darkened.

In an instant, she regained her usual gentle demeanor. "Please trouble you to tell Her Majesty the Empress that I understand. I also ask Her Majesty to take good care of her health. I will pay my respects to Her Majesty after she has rested well."

The eunuch bowed, withdrew, and continued walking towards other palaces.

After he walked away, Roupin's personal maid, Jun'er, couldn't help but say, "The Empress is really something these days. She was tired this morning. She probably doesn't know that the Emperor stayed in her palace yesterday."

Consort Rou didn't speak, but glanced in the direction of Kunning Palace, her eyes flashing with a sharp light.

Before entering the palace, she had always heard that the empress was out of favor. After entering the palace, she found that although the empress was out of favor, Emperor Yuanwu was not as disgusted with her as rumored. However, Emperor Yuanwu never stayed overnight in her palace, so she did not take it to heart.

But things are different now. Emperor Yuanwu has actually started staying overnight in Kunning Palace. She never took that unlucky eldest prince, the sickly second prince, or the third prince with a crazy mother seriously before. She always thought that the position of crown prince would belong to her fourth prince.

Who would have thought that despite all the precautions, they couldn't stop that damned vile woman from Jingyang Palace from causing such a commotion during her childbirth, almost harming the Fourth Prince and making the Emperor wary of her from then on.

Her favor with the emperor is not what it used to be. She has been pregnant with the fourth prince for so long, but she is still only a concubine. Consort Ying is only pregnant and she is already a concubine. If she gives birth to a prince, won't she surpass her?

Once the label of "jinx" is attached to him, the emperor will likely harbor suspicions forever.

From now on, no one in the imperial harem can have children. Not only can the concubines not have children, but the empress cannot either, as any prince born to the empress is a legitimate heir. Which prince in the harem can have the same honor as a legitimate heir?
If she didn't have a legitimate son, the position of crown prince would undoubtedly belong to her fourth son. But if she did have a legitimate son...

Seeing that Consort Rou had not moved for a long time, Jun'er tentatively asked, "Your Highness, shall we go back to the palace?"

After a long while, Consort Rou slowly shook her head. "It's been a long time since I've seen Consort De. Since Her Majesty the Empress is not feeling well, let's go to Yanxi Palace for a visit. She should be up by now."

"Your Majesty, why are you going to Yanxi Palace? Shouldn't you go to Jingyang Palace? Although Consort Xian is still under house arrest, she is still a Consort. In our harem, apart from the Empress, she is currently the highest-ranking. If Your Majesty were to get closer to her, and if she were willing to say a few good words for Your Majesty in front of the Emperor, perhaps Your Majesty could be promoted to the rank of Consort before the Fourth Prince's hundredth day." Jun'er couldn't help but persuade her.

she?
Consort Rou gave a cold laugh.

She was unaware that she would be promoted to the rank of Consort a hundred days before the Fourth Prince's death.

But whether Consort Xian will live to see the Fourth Prince's hundredth birthday is uncertain.

Consort Rou walked towards Yanxi Palace. When she passed Kunning Palace, she suddenly stopped and turned her head to look into the palace.

After seeing Emperor Yuanwu off, Shen Qingwan stared at the breakfast spread on the table, but lost her appetite.

In fact, she had little appetite from the beginning. She made a table full of breakfast just to cover up the fact that she hadn't slept all night and didn't want Emperor Yuanwu to become suspicious.

"Remove all of these," Shen Qingwan said calmly.

The palace maids came in one after another, cleaning up the food dishes. Zhen'er gave everyone a wink.

All the palace maids who were originally standing in the main hall withdrew.

Zhen'er helped Shen Qingwan to the bedchamber, closed the palace gate, and then took out a letter from her sleeve.

"Your Majesty, this morning, before the Emperor left, someone delivered this..."

Shen Qingwan took the letter from Zhen'er's hand with a puzzled look. She took out a three-folded piece of paper from the envelope, and her eyes trembled slightly when she opened it.

She initially thought it was a letter from someone, but to her surprise, it was addressed to Qiu Zongxi, a high-ranking official in the court, and the signature was that of Consort Xian.

This……

Shen Qingwan glanced at the contents of the letter. The general meaning was concise and clear: Consort Xian wanted the Qiu family to send their illegitimate daughter to the palace to serve them.

"Who delivered this letter?" Shen Qingwan turned to Zhen'er and asked in confusion.

"Your Majesty, this morning when I went to the backyard, a man dressed as a eunuch secretly slipped his hand into my arms. However, he seemed to have some martial arts skills, and before I could even see his face clearly, he had already run away." Zhen'er's expression was grave. "What did Your Majesty say in your letter? Is there anything that is detrimental to Your Majesty?"

unfavorable?

That's not quite right. Sending a woman into the palace for Emperor Yuanwu was nothing out of the ordinary.

She just couldn't figure out what this person's purpose was.
Did they want her, as the empress, to step in and obstruct this matter?