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

Chapter 33 Consort Xian is in trouble

To put it another way.

She worked for a boss who thought she was doing a good job and that the clients were satisfied, so he gave her a bonus.

In this way, Shen Qingwan felt that as long as the concubines in the harem became pregnant and gained favor one after another, wouldn't she become the biggest beneficiary?

In the near future, one of the concubines' children will become the crown prince and ascend the throne as emperor.

If they had gotten along well before, she could have lived a peaceful life in the harem as an empress dowager and enjoyed her later years. This kind of painless motherhood was really too good!

If all else fails, she can arrange things for Emperor Yuanwu. For example, he can schedule a few more days for his favorite concubines each month and a few fewer days for those he doesn't like. The main idea is to ensure that everyone gets a share of his favor, so that all the concubines in the harem have a chance to see Emperor Yuanwu once a month.

She could also calculate the ovulation period based on the menstrual cycles of these concubines. If this arrangement continued, the harem would surely be filled with princes and princesses in the near future.

However, in this way, Emperor Yuanwu does resemble a breeding boar specifically for producing offspring!
Since Emperor Yuanwu was the ruler of a country, the more offspring the better, so that the country would have a successor.

When Emperor Yuanwu stepped into Kunning Palace, he saw Shen Qingwan holding that gold hairpin, smiling in a... lewd way.

Emperor Yuanwu:? ? ?

He now realized that his empress seemed to have changed a lot; a mere phoenix hairpin with gold thread could make her laugh like this.

"Does the Empress like this gold-threaded hair ornament very much?"

Emperor Yuanwu's voice brought Shen Qingwan back to her senses. She composed herself, curtsied, and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

"Get up." After Emperor Yuanwu finished speaking, he took the gold hairpin from her and put it directly into her hair: "It looks good. If the Empress likes it, I will have Jixiang go to the storeroom to see if she likes it. I will reward her with it."

If you have something good and don't want it, then you're just plain stupid.

She used to buy these things on Pinduoduo for 9.9 yuan each.

This is a genuine, handmade product!
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Shen Qingwan didn't stand on ceremony with him.

"Then, Empress, could you tell me what you were thinking when I came in just now? You seemed so happy?" Emperor Yuanwu walked to the stool next to her and sat down.

Shen Qingwan: ...

The smile on her face froze instantly.

She couldn't very well tell Emperor Yuanwu that she thought of him as a stud pig.

"Would Your Majesty like to stay for dinner? I'll have someone arrange it right away."

Emperor Yuanwu lowered his eyes and curled the corners of his lips. He found his empress increasingly interesting, and she had even learned to change the subject.

"Your Majesty, please make the arrangements."

Before Emperor Yuanwu had finished speaking, Wu Jixiang hurriedly walked in from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty, Consort Xian has encountered an accident and wishes to request Your Majesty to come and take a look."

"Something happened? What happened?" Emperor Yuanwu frowned.

"I heard that when Consort Xian was playing with the Third Prince in the courtyard today, she accidentally slipped and fell, hitting her waist on the steps. It seems to be quite serious."

"Why did it slip out of nowhere?" Emperor Yuanwu asked, puzzled.

"Your Majesty, since Jingyang Palace has sent someone to invite you, why don't you go and take a look?"

Emperor Yuanwu nodded and stood up: "Very well, then I will go and take a look first, and then come back to dine with you later."

“I reckon the Imperial Kitchen will need to prepare for a while longer, so why don’t I accompany His Majesty to take a look?” Shen Qingwan said.

When Emperor Yuanwu and Shen Qingwan arrived at Jingyang Palace.

Several of the most skilled physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy were currently discussing something in the main hall of Jingyang Palace. It seemed that Consort Xian was indeed seriously injured.

"See the Emperor."

"Get up. How is Consort Xian?"

"Your Majesty, Her Majesty has injured her back bone and may not be able to get out of bed for a while, but..."

As the imperial physician finished speaking, he glanced up at Emperor Yuanwu and the Empress.

Seeing that Emperor Yuanwu did not speak, Shen Qingwan responded, "Imperial Physician, please speak frankly if you have anything to say."

"However, Consort Xian developed a back ailment when she gave birth to the Third Prince, and now she has fallen again. I'm afraid that if she doesn't take good care of herself, she will have difficulty having children in the future."

"What?" Emperor Yuanwu's eyes flashed coldly.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I will do my best to treat Consort Xian and help her recover her health."

Emperor Yuanwu's face darkened, and he turned and entered Consort Xian's palace.

Consort Xian lay on the bed, her face deathly pale, her whole body trembling.

Sweat soaked her hair, and tears still clung to the corners of her eyes. Compared to her usual self, she looked not only a little disheveled, but even a bit miserable!
Lan Cui knelt by the bed, wiping the fine beads of sweat from her forehead with a silk thread.

Emperor Yuanwu's anger flared instantly: "How exactly do you all serve your master? How could a perfectly healthy person fall so badly?"

"Your Majesty, please forgive us! Please punish us!" All the servants in the palace knelt on the ground.

"Punish them." Emperor Yuanwu sneered: "Guards, drag all the servants of Jingyang Palace away and beat them to death with sticks."

"Your Majesty, spare me! This servant knows she was wrong!"

At Emperor Yuanwu's command, Jingyang Palace was instantly filled with weeping.

Shen Qingwan frowned: "Your Majesty, Consort Xian is seriously injured and needs someone to take care of her. If we execute all the palace maids and eunuchs who served her before and replace them with a new batch of maids and servants, I'm afraid they won't know Consort Xian's usual habits. If they serve her improperly, it will be even more detrimental to Consort Xian's recovery."

Hearing Shen Qingwan's words, Emperor Yuanwu's anger subsided somewhat.

"In Your Majesty's opinion, what should be done about this matter?"

Shen Qingwan turned around.

"Listen up, everyone in Jingyang Palace! Today you all failed to serve Consort Xian properly, causing her serious injury. His Majesty is merciful and will spare your lives for now, giving you a chance to make amends. If you can serve Consort Xian diligently and help her recover soon, His Majesty may show leniency. If not, he will have you all beaten to death and thrown into a mass grave. Do you all understand?"

The crowd said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing our lives. Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress."

When Shen Qingwan turned around, Emperor Yuanwu was staring at her intently.

Seeing his absent-minded look, Shen Qingwan softly called out, "Your Majesty."

Emperor Yuanwu suddenly came to his senses, and as if trying to conceal something, asked the palace maid beside Consort Xian, "How is Consort Xian?"

Consort Xian was half-conscious and half-asleep. Although she heard Emperor Yuanwu's voice, she did not open her eyes.

Lan Cui turned around while kneeling.

"Your Majesty, Her Majesty has suffered greatly. The imperial physician has just given her medicine and she should be asleep now."

Emperor Yuanwu responded and glanced at Consort Xian.

As he looked away, his gaze inadvertently swept over the palace maid who had just answered him.

(End of this chapter)