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

Chapter 32 Consort Li is Pregnant
Consort Xian reached out and hooked her chin, and the two looked into each other's eyes.

The candlelight illuminated Lan Cui's face, revealing skin as smooth as cream and eyebrows as dark as ink—a true beauty.

She was really curious as to why her father had chosen such a beautiful woman and sent her to her side. Did her father really think that she was his unshakeable favorite?

Lan Cui's head was already raised as high as it could go, but Consort Xian's grip on her hand didn't stop at all.

Lan Cui's fingernail dug into her flesh, causing her to break out in a cold sweat from the pain.

Bright red blood dripped from Consort Xian's fingernails onto her skirt.

Consort Xian released her hand with a hint of disgust: "Go down!"

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty." Lan Cui hurriedly got up from the ground and stumbled out.

After the palace maids finished serving Consort Xian, she had finished washing and dressing.

The weather in August wasn't exactly cold, but it got a bit chilly in the evening.

When Consort Xian lifted the covers and lay down on the bed, the bed was warm and cozy.

She suddenly remembered what Lan Cui had just said: that she had already warmed the quilt with a hot water bottle.

She gave a self-deprecating laugh for no apparent reason.

Now the empress is so virtuous that she wishes she could send all the concubines in the palace to Emperor Yuanwu's bed.

Jingyang Palace is no longer the Jingyang Palace it used to be. She was so jealous of Lan Cui's beauty that she wanted to ruin her face. What was she being so dramatic about?
Everything she has now is thanks to her father.

Since she was arranged by her father, how could there be any problem? Could it be that her father would harm her?

Consort Xian turned over, lay on the bed and turned over again, and again and again, until she finally felt a little sleepy when it was just getting light outside the window.

But at this very moment, he had to get up and pay his respects to the Empress!
Consort Xian hadn't slept all night and was already quite irritable. The thought of having to see so many people she didn't want to see after getting up made her even more upset.

When Consort Xian arrived at Kunning Palace, all the other concubines had already arrived.

"Consort Xian has quite the airs, making the Empress wait for so long?"

When Consort De saw her enter, she couldn't help but speak.

Anyway, the two of them have been at odds for a long time, and everyone in the palace knows it.

Previously, Consort De was wary of Consort Xian's power to manage the six palaces, and thus restrained herself considerably.

Now that Consort Xian has lost power, although she has never received Emperor Yuanwu's favor again, she still manages the six palaces.

Consort De felt a sense of triumph, finally able to turn the tables and overpower her, and naturally spoke without any restraint.

It is true that Consort Xian arrived late.

"Consort De, Her Majesty the Empress hasn't said anything, so why are you making such a fuss?"

"Heh." Consort De sneered, "The Empress didn't say anything because she's magnanimous and doesn't hold it against you. But shouldn't we concubines respect the Empress even more?"

“Isn’t that right? With the Empress in the palace, our entire harem is much more harmonious now,” Consort Liang replied.

"I have only been in the palace for a short time, but I feel at ease with Her Majesty the Empress here," Consort Rou added.

"Yes, Consort Rou was promoted three ranks as soon as she entered the palace. She should thank Her Majesty the Empress, shouldn't she?" Consort Xian said sourly.

"Consort Rou's rapid promotion is due to the Emperor's favor, and her own pregnancy is also successful. Her Majesty the Empress has always treated everyone equally and has been very kind to all of us sisters," said Consort De.

"Yes, why don't you see your sister's belly doing well and giving birth to a prince or princess for our Emperor?" Consort Xian rolled her eyes at her disdainfully.

Consort De's face turned pale after being rebuked. He might not have cared about anything else, but he had to bring up the matter of having offspring.

When she first entered the manor, she had a child, but it mysteriously disappeared when she was less than three months old, although she had wondered who had harmed her.

But at that time, I was young and of low rank.

Since then, perhaps due to health issues, she has never conceived again, no matter how much favor Emperor Yuanwu bestowed upon her.

Consort Xian directly hit her sore spot.

"Alright, those of you with children should take good care of them. Those of you without children shouldn't worry. Focus on getting your health in order. After all, there's only one Emperor. As long as you sisters take good care of your health, you'll have children sooner or later."

"Yes, Your Majesty the Empress's teachings," the concubines replied in unison.

"Is there anything else? If not, you may all leave." Shen Qingwan stood up. "Consort Li, come with me to the inner palace. I need to speak with you."

Consort Li was taken aback. She rarely spoke and couldn't understand why the Empress had kept her behind by herself.

When all the concubines had left.

Consort Li followed Shen Qingwan to the inner palace.

Physician Zhang was already waiting there.

"This..." Consort Li looked at the Empress in confusion.

Shen Qingwan didn't speak, but gestured for her to sit down.

After taking her pulse, the imperial physician reported, "Your Majesty, Consort Li is indeed pregnant, just as Your Majesty suspected."

"What?" Consort Li's voice trembled with excitement: "Imperial Physician Zhang, what did you say?"

"Congratulations, Consort Li. You are more than a month pregnant. I have prescribed some medicine to help with the pregnancy. Once the medicine is decocted, I will have it delivered to your residence."

"Well... thank you... thank you, Physician Zhang."

Consort Li was so excited that tears streamed down her face, and she didn't know where to put her hands.

Even after the imperial physician had been gone for a long time, Consort Li was still overjoyed. She couldn't suppress the smile on her face as she wiped away her tears and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress."

Shen Qingwan smiled faintly: "Why thank me? If anyone should be thanking someone, it should be me thanking you for helping the Emperor continue his lineage."

"I...I thought I had harmed my body by drinking so much contraceptive soup, but I never expected to become pregnant. I envied Consort Rou for so long when I saw her pregnant. Now that I have this child, I have no more desires. Whether it's a prince or a princess, I'm overjoyed." Consort Li said excitedly while wiping away tears from the corners of her eyes, "How did Your Majesty know I was pregnant and even summon the imperial physician?"

"I just heard that your period is late, so I thought I'd have the imperial physician take a look. If you're pregnant, that would be great. If not, it'll be good for the imperial physician to help you regulate your body," Shen Qingwan said softly.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty the Empress." Consort Li rose and bowed.

"It's getting late, let's go back to the palace to rest. I'll tell His Majesty the good news after he finishes court."

"Then I shall take my leave."

There hadn't been such a joyous occasion in the palace for a long time; two concubines had become pregnant in quick succession.

When Emperor Yuanwu learned of this, he rewarded Consort Li with many gifts and promised to promote her to the rank of Imperial Concubine when she gave birth to a prince or a princess.

The Empress Dowager was so pleased that she ate an extra bowl of rice at lunch.

When Emperor Yuanwu bestowed gifts upon Consort Li, he also sent many gifts to the Empress.

Shen Qingwan really liked the phoenix-patterned gold hairpin. She helped Emperor Yuanwu manage the harem, and Emperor Yuanwu rewarded her with...
(End of this chapter)