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

Chapter 343 A Sudden Attack on the Heart
Seeing that she remained silent, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but sigh deeply again. "The Emperor has really gone too far this time. I can't interfere with the affairs of the court, but as long as I am here, I will never allow him to act recklessly in the harem."

"Your Majesty, please don't be angry," Zhang Mama advised.

"How could I not be angry? I really don't understand. Ever since Consort Li left, I have never seen the Emperor show any genuine affection for any woman. Now, he actually punishes the Empress for a concubine who has only been in the palace for a few days. Zhang Mama, tell me, what exactly did the Empress do wrong that warrants such punishment?" The Empress Dowager's lips trembled with anger, and she couldn't help but slap the table twice. "Don't even mention the Empress punishing a palace maid. Even if she punished a concubine, there must be a reason. How could the Emperor confine the Empress to her quarters for such a trivial matter?"

"Your Majesty, please don't be agitated. The Emperor only said that the Empress should reflect on her mistakes at home, not that she should be confined to her quarters, and moreover..."

As she spoke, Zhang Mama poured the Empress Dowager another bowl of tea and handed it to her. "When I went to Kunning Palace today, Her Majesty the Empress was having hot pot with Consort Shu and Consort Jin in the courtyard. The three of them were chatting and laughing, and Her Majesty the Empress seemed completely unaffected by it."

The Empress Dowager paused, raising her eyes to look at Zhang Mama. "Really?"

Granny Zhang nodded firmly.

"Is the Empress really not sad or upset at all?" the Empress Dowager asked, puzzled.

“This servant saw…” Zhang Mama paused, “…nothing.”

The Empress Dowager's gaze darkened.

Although she felt that the Empress had changed a lot in the past year, she still felt that it was a bit unreal most of the time. After all, no matter how much a person changes, some of their nature is hard to change.

Just like this time.

Even if the Empress is very sensible, it is still quite puzzling that she could still chat and laugh with the concubines in the harem without any distraction after being wronged by the Emperor.

Could it be that the Empress was faking it all?
The Empress Dowager, unable to understand, simply stopped thinking about it. "What about Consort Xi?"

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. I have delivered everything Your Majesty instructed. Consort Xi is pleased with it; her complexion is rosy, she looks much plumper, and she is in a better mood."

The Empress Dowager nodded in agreement after listening to what Zhang Mama said.

After finishing their lunch, Consort Shu and Consort Jin sat for a while longer before returning to their respective palaces.

Shen Qingwan was reading on the chaise lounge in her bedchamber when Su Tianhe walked in from outside. “Your Majesty, a report has come from Prince Yao’s residence that his wife gave birth to a son this afternoon, and both mother and child are safe.”

"This is a joyous occasion; Prince Yao now has a legitimate son," Shen Qingwan remarked.

Prince Yao was known for his amorous nature, and the number of his concubines in his palace probably exceeded the number of women in the imperial harem.

Princess Consort Yao had been unable to conceive for many years, and was already quite old; it was thought she would never have any more children.

"Besides the one from the Imperial Household Department, prepare another generous gift for me and send it to the Prince's residence," Shen Qingwan said calmly.

"Yes, I will do it right away."

After Su Tianhe left, Zhen'er asked curiously, "Your Majesty, the Princess Consort of Prince Yao is so lucky. I thought she would never have any more children at this age, but she gave birth to a son. She will have someone to rely on in the future."

"Is that so?" Shen Qingwan said indifferently.

Zhen'er seemed to suddenly realize something and panicked instantly. "Your Majesty, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just talking about the wife of Prince Yao."

Shen Qingwan smiled faintly, "I know."

She didn't mean to blame her.

Although she had repeatedly told Su Tianhe after she first transmigrated into the original owner's body that she would not serve the emperor in bed and had no desire to have children, Su Tianhe, having grown up in this kind of society and environment, could not fully understand or accept her words.

They firmly believe that women can only survive by relying on men, and that they can only have someone to rely on if they give birth to their own sons.

Although she knew she couldn't change their perception at this point, she felt that, from ancient times to the present, it had been a mistake to entrust a woman's life to a man.

Zhen'er's face was heavy, but she still spoke with concern, "Your Majesty, I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just genuinely happy for Princess Consort Yao."

"Alright, I understand." Shen Qingwan said in a comforting tone, seeing that she was almost crying.

Zhen'er was relieved. "Your Majesty, shall I help you take a nap?"

Nap?

She wasn't particularly sleepy. When she was in charge of the harem, she would spend most of her afternoons dealing with various trivial matters or looking at the accounts.

Looking back now, it seems she had a period of free time with nothing to do, so she always had to do something to pass the time.

What should we get?
Shen Qingwan thought for a moment, "Later, you take a few palace maids and go to the Imperial Garden to pick some flowers."

"Yes, ma'am."

Zhen'er suddenly remembered that when the flowers in the palace were in full bloom, the Empress loved to take them to the Imperial Garden to pick flowers.

Now that Emperor Yuanwu has spoken, although there are no guards protecting Kunning Palace, the Empress can no longer come and go as freely as before.

Zhen'er secretly vowed in her heart that it was alright, she could go out and she would go and pluck all the flowers in the Imperial Garden and bring them all to Kunning Palace to amuse the Empress.

Zhen'er led several palace maids to the Imperial Garden. Shen Qingwan lay on the chaise lounge and continued reading. As she read, she felt increasingly dizzy and nauseous, whether from sleepiness or something else.

I didn't eat much at lunch, so why is that?

Could there be something wrong with the ingredients?

She thought about having someone ask Consort Shu and Consort Jin if they had any problems, making sure they didn't get sick from eating here. As she was thinking about this, Shen Qingwan drifted off to sleep.

When she woke up again, the Empress Dowager was sitting by her bedside, and there were many people standing in the bedroom.

"Your Majesty, you're finally awake! You scared me to death!" Zhen'er's eyes were red, clearly she had just been crying.

"Mother, why have you come here?" Shen Qingwan tried to get up to pay her respects, but the Empress Dowager pressed her back down.

She knew that with the Emperor punishing her like this, how could the Empress possibly remain calm and chat with the concubines in the palace? She was just putting on a brave face.

"The imperial physician said that you have a fever caused by sudden internal heat. If you have something bothering you, you can talk to the Empress Dowager. Why keep it to yourself and make yourself sick?"

Shen Qingwan: ...

The Empress Dowager couldn't help but sigh again as she spoke.

When I heard that the Empress had fainted, she sent all the palace maids out of the palace. She was not discovered until quite a while after she fainted.

"I truly don't understand how the servants in Kunning Palace serve the Empress. Such a large palace, and there isn't a single servant. Do you all think that just because the Emperor said a few words to the Empress, you can be so negligent?"