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

Chapter 321: Revealing old scores

Roupin's lips trembled uncontrollably, her eyes gradually filled with tears, and she suddenly gripped the hem of her skirt tightly with her hand at her side to stop herself from crying.

However, in that instant, she miraculously regained her composure.

The tears that were just brimming in her eyes vanished instantly, and the tears that were about to spill out were forcibly held back.

Consort Rou put on an enigmatic smile and reached out to take Consort De's arm. "If you ask me, Your Majesty the Empress should have a child with the Emperor. If Your Majesty the Empress had a child, I'm afraid she would devote all her heart to the child. As for me, I'm constantly bothered by the Fourth Prince, how can I have the mind to care about anything else? I just hope that my little darling can get a good night's sleep."

Consort De paused, her smile suddenly froze, and she turned her head to look at Consort Rou with some disbelief.

Consort Rou wore a perfectly appropriate smile, but her weariness was undeniable. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but she felt a strange unease about what Consort Rou had just said, especially about the child…

It seems to have a deeper meaning, and was not just a casual remark.

"What's wrong, sister?" Consort Rou blinked, her eyes innocent and gentle.

It took Consort De a while to recover her senses. "No, it's nothing. Go in quickly, don't keep Her Majesty the Empress waiting."

"I'll do whatever you say, sister." Consort Rou smiled gently as she released her grip on Consort De's arm and helped Consort De lift the curtain of Kunning Palace.

The morning greetings at Kunning Palace were as clichéd and devoid of any sincerity as ever. Those who had been eagerly waiting to see Shen Qingwan make a fool of herself were truly disappointed.

Shen Qingwan looked refreshed and radiant.

After thinking for a long time, all I could think of was, "Doctor Zhang is truly a miracle worker, his medicine cures all diseases."

Now, those who couldn't sleep all night because the Emperor went to Consort Wen's place, who wanted to find someone to sympathize with, couldn't find anyone yet, and their faces were about to completely break down.

Shen Qingwan took in everyone's interesting expressions before slowly speaking and asking how the prince and princess were doing.

She glanced at Consort Yan sitting in the corner. She had to admit that Consort Yan's appearance was truly extraordinary. Even in the harem, a place full of beauties, she was one of the best. But how long she would live was something only Emperor Yuanwu knew.

Having been in the palace for so long, she has yet to come to Kunning Palace to pay her respects. It is obvious that the nanny who taught her manners and etiquette has not taught her properly!
She was too lazy to argue with her for being disrespectful in front of her, but she wondered if the Empress Dowager and the Emperor would be so lenient.

Shen Qingwan was only thinking to herself that with such a beautiful face, it would be good to live a little longer and add more beauty to the harem.

Knowing that the Imperial Household Department would be sending over fabrics later, and that Emperor Yuanwu had only arranged for a portion of those fabrics, leaving the rest to her to manage, Shen Qingwan worried that if the concubines bumped into her when they arrived, demanding this and that, it would only make things more difficult for her. So, she simply dismissed them early. Meanwhile, Meng Anfu, the head of the Imperial Household Department, did something quite clever today. He seemed to have the same idea as the Empress, bypassing the Kunning Palace where the concubines were paying their respects early in the morning and going directly to the Cining Palace.

"Your Majesty, Lingnan has presented a considerable amount of silk as tribute. This is a selection of two bolts of Yunling brocade and four bolts of Fuguang brocade that His Majesty instructed me to deliver to Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty is very kind. Yunling brocade is a precious material, and its workmanship is complex and intricate. Only a few pieces can be made in a year." The Empress Dowager stroked the Yunling brocade. "Back when the late Emperor was still alive, there were many fine materials sent to the palace from Lingnan every year, but I never got to pick up a single piece of Yunling brocade."

Kneeling on the ground, Meng Anfu couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words. He had originally thought that by helping the Emperor with this task, he could please the Empress Dowager and receive some reward. How did this happen and stir up the Empress Dowager's painful memories?

You must know that he has been in charge of the Imperial Household Department for decades. When the late emperor was still alive, he had already become the head eunuch of the Imperial Household Department. Now that the Empress Dowager is bringing this up, isn't she trying to dredge up old grievances...?

Meng Anfu was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. He should have sent it to Kunning Palace first and then had someone send it over. What kind of mess did he make?

"Your Majesty, it is all my fault that I deserve to die. I was blind and ignorant. But I was just a lowly steward of the Imperial Household Department. I was just following orders. Although Your Majesty did not have the finest silk brocade in the palace back then, I sent you the best of everything else you had to eat, wear and use."

After Meng Anfu finished speaking, he cautiously glanced at the Empress Dowager. Seeing that her expression remained unchanged, he slapped himself in the face before she could speak again. "Your Majesty, please calm down. It was all my fault for being blind back then. I deserve to die."

The Empress Dowager sat there with an unchanged expression, staring blankly at Yun Lingjin. Even when Meng Anfu, who was kneeling on the ground, slapped his face repeatedly, it did not disturb her.

The more indifferent she remained, the less Meng Anfu dared to stop. He couldn't figure out what the Empress Dowager meant at this moment, but he knew in his heart that if the Empress Dowager couldn't swallow the anger from back then, then his future would be completely over.

Meng Anfu simply increased the force of his blows. Although the previous slaps were loud and didn't hurt him, these last few slaps were solid and caused blood to seep from the bruised areas on his cheeks.

Zhang Mama glanced down at him, walked to the Empress Dowager's side, and handed her a bowl of red date and longan tea. "Your Majesty, please try this red date and longan tea. I tried to make it the way Her Majesty the Empress did, but I don't know if I've managed to capture even a fraction of Her Majesty's skillful touch."

The Empress Dowager then came to her senses, took the bowl of red date and longan tea from Zhang Mama, and took a small sip. "It is indeed a little worse than what the Empress brewed."

After saying this, the Empress Dowager handed the bowl of tea back to Zhang Mama. "I'll ask the Empress to cook some for me when she has time. The Empress is very clever and skillful. She seems to have a special interest in food and drink and can always come up with some unusual things."

Zhang Mama looked troubled. "Your Majesty, why don't you just make do with the tea I brewed? I'm afraid Her Majesty the Empress won't be able to brew tea for you anytime soon."

"What?" The Empress Dowager's eyes widened in surprise.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager may not know this, but last night, Her Majesty the Empress was unwell and summoned Physician Zhang in the middle of the night. She only claimed to the outside world that she could not sleep. You should know that Her Majesty the Empress never complains of pain easily. If she really couldn't sleep, there are plenty of calming teas and incense in the palace. Why would she need to call Physician Zhang?"

The Empress Dowager was taken aback; she moved her lips as if to speak…