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

Chapter 332 Banquet
After a long pause, Jun'er finally spoke, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is hosting a banquet at Cining Palace today, and the Emperor should be having dinner there. I reckon it's not over yet."

"A banquet?" Consort Rou asked in confusion. "What kind of banquet?"

"Your Majesty, I heard that the Imperial Kitchen sent some fresh meat to Her Majesty the Empress, and Her Majesty wants to make roast meat."

BBQ?

Upon hearing this, Consort Xian couldn't help but furrow her brow deeply.

Even though the Empress was not favored by Emperor Yuanwu, she still tried to please the Empress Dowager. She didn't really think that if she served the Empress Dowager well, the Emperor would fall in love with her.

ignorance.

Seeing that Consort Xian's expression was not good, Jun'er dared not fail to report some things to Consort Rou truthfully. "Your Majesty, you were sleeping with the Fourth Prince just now, so I didn't have a chance to tell you. After the Empress went to the Empress Dowager's palace, the Empress Dowager sent someone to invite the Emperor. Coincidentally, Prince Rui was also there, so he went to Cining Palace with the Emperor..."

Prince Rui?
Isn't this the prince who was once engaged to the empress?

There were rumors in the past that the late emperor preferred Prince Rui when choosing the crown prince, and even intended to marry Shen Qingwan to Prince Rui as his wife. It was the Empress Dowager who interfered and ruined the marriage, forcibly taking Shen Qingwan and betrothing her to Emperor Yuanwu.

However, there was one thing she could never understand: no matter who the late emperor chose as the future crown prince, why did he insist on making Shen Qingwan the empress?

Before she entered the palace, she had always heard that the Emperor was wary of Prince Rui. But now it seems that the Emperor is not only not wary of Prince Rui, but his relationship with Prince Rui is becoming more and more intimate.

Providing a residence for a prince in the imperial harem is something that is probably unheard of.

If even the emperor doesn't mind a prince, what does it have to do with her?

"What exactly are you trying to say by stammering?" Consort Rou looked up at Jun'er and asked in confusion.

"Your Majesty, besides inviting Prince Rui, the Empress Dowager has also invited Consort Zhen and Consort Liang." After Jun'er finished speaking, she glanced cautiously at Consort Xian, "And the First Princess, the Second Prince, and the First Prince."

what?
Consort Rou's pupils dilated sharply. "What did you say?"

There are only five children in the harem. The Third Prince fell ill yesterday, and it seems quite serious. I reckon he won't recover quickly. Children always need some time to fully recover from illness.

It's understandable that the Third Prince wasn't invited, but if the First Princess, the Second Prince, and the First Prince were invited, wouldn't that leave only her Fourth Prince?

Consort Rou pondered carefully, "I... I shouldn't have done anything disrespectful to the Empress Dowager. Why did the Empress Dowager specifically abandon the Fourth Prince? Could it be because when the Fourth Prince was born, he was framed by a villain who said he was an unlucky omen. Although the Empress Dowager didn't say anything, she has always been wary of him?"

"Your Majesty, the Cining Palace is preparing roast meat. Perhaps the Empress Dowager thinks the Fourth Prince is too young to eat such a thing, so she didn't invite you. Please don't take it to heart," Jun'er advised.

"No, this can't be right."

As Consort Rou spoke, she shook her head. Perhaps because she stood up too quickly, a sudden sharp pain in her abdomen caused her to sit back down before she could even stand up.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what's wrong?...Quick...Quickly, fetch the imperial physician...Quickly..."

Consort Rou's face was deathly pale, as if she had contracted some serious illness. Zhen'er was frightened and, while the imperial physician was taking her pulse, she ran all the way to Cining Palace.

"This servant requests an audience with the Empress Dowager, this servant requests an audience with the Emperor, and the Empress..."

Jun'er knelt at the entrance of Cining Palace. Unlike other palaces, Cining Palace would not grant audiences to concubines or their maids if they had a reason to request an audience, even if it was late. Moreover, the Empress Dowager had not yet retired for the night. Upon hearing the commotion, Zhang Mama went out and led Jun'er in.

"This servant greets the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress." Jun'er's voice choked with sobs.

"What's going on so late at night? Has something happened to your lady?" the Empress Dowager asked.

"Your Majesty, my lady has been perfectly fine all evening, but suddenly she has been experiencing unbearable abdominal pain."

"Has the imperial physician been summoned?" the Empress Dowager continued to ask.

"Your Majesty, before I came here, I went to fetch the imperial physician. I reckon he should have arrived by now. I noticed that Your Majesty seems to be quite seriously ill, so I came to inform you."

Jun'er's tears flowed uncontrollably.

Seeing how heartbroken she was crying, anyone who didn't know better would have thought that Consort Rou was already dead.

Shen Qingwan raised her eyes and glanced at Emperor Yuanwu, who seemed to cure all diseases: "Your Majesty, according to what the maids in Consort Rou's palace said, it seems to be quite serious. Didn't Your Majesty choose Consort Yan last night? Consort Yan happens to live in the same palace as Consort Rou. Why don't Your Majesty go and see Consort Rou first, and then go to Consort Yan's palace?"

The Empress Dowager nodded in agreement. "The Empress is right. Since it is so serious, the Emperor should go and see for himself before he can rest assured."

Shen Qingwan mentally stretched. In the harem, demeanor and appearance were very important. One could not stretch, yawn, or pick one's nose casually.

After laughing all night, her face was almost stiff from laughing. She thought it would take a while to end, but unexpectedly, Consort Rou's maid came over.

"Is that so, Your Majesty? Consort Rou doesn't usually complain of illness easily. Her personal maid has come here, so it must be quite serious. Your Majesty should go and take a look."

Shen Qingwan didn't know how serious Roupin's illness was, but she did know that as long as Emperor Yuanwu intervened, the illnesses of the concubines in the harem, while not curable, would be mostly cured.

“Yes, the Empress is right. The Emperor should not delay any longer and should hurry over to see him.” After saying this, the Empress Dowager turned her head to look at Shen Qingwan. “The Empress should also come along. She ate so much meat at dinner. Accompanying the Emperor for a walk will help her digest.”

Shen Qingwan: ...

The Empress Dowager dotes on her too much; she thinks of her in everything.

Shen Qingwan's expression was somewhat indescribable.

When she arrived at Zhongcui Palace following Emperor Yuanwu, the imperial physician had just examined Consort Rou's pulse.

Although Consort Rou's complexion was not very good, she still hurriedly stepped off the bed when she saw Emperor Yuanwu, saying, "Your Majesty."

Her smile was more beautiful than any flower. She moved closer to Emperor Yuanwu, took his arm with one hand, and curtsied, saying, "Your Majesty the Empress."

"Consort Rou is unwell, no need for formalities." Shen Qingwan smiled as always, showing no emotion whatsoever, as if the man beside her had nothing to do with her.

This made Consort Rou feel like she had punched a cotton ball, and the smile on her face instantly became unnatural.

Shen Qingwan acted as if she hadn't seen it, turning her head to ask, "Imperial Physician, what's wrong with Consort Rou?"