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

Chapter 377 Focus
Pei'er struggled for a while, then crawled crying to Emperor Yuanwu. She tore open the collar of her clothes, and the wound on her sleeve was nothing compared to the wound on her shoulder. There was hardly any good flesh left on her shoulder.

“Your Majesty, ever since our Lady was frightened last year, she has been in a daze. Although she often beats and scolds me, I know that she is just ill and does not really mean to beat or scold me. Please, Your Majesty, have mercy and do not pursue this matter any further.”

Emperor Yuanwu sighed helplessly, "You are indeed loyal to Consort De."

“This servant has served Consort De since childhood. Consort De has treated this servant very well. Now that Consort De is unwell, this servant does not blame Consort De.”

Emperor Yuanwu's eyes flickered, and he stood up. "Go and summon Imperial Physician Zhang to examine Consort De's health, and also have her examine this maid."

Physician Zhang!
Pei'er was shocked. How could she possibly be worthy of being treated by Imperial Physician Zhang, a mere palace maid? You should know that Imperial Physician Zhang usually only served the Cining Palace, Kunning Palace, and Yangxin Hall. Only when the concubines in the palace were pregnant would they receive such an honor.

Does this mean that the Emperor will no longer pursue Consort De's mistakes?

"This servant thanks Your Majesty for your mercy in not punishing me, this servant thanks Your Majesty for your grace..."

Emperor Yuanwu returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. After Prince Yao's persistent pleading and delaying for so many days, a result was finally achieved.

Princes are subject to the same laws as commoners, and since he is the brother-in-law of Prince Yao, he should set an example even more.

Emperor Yuanwu not only imprisoned him, but also sent Prince Yao to arrest him personally.

The relatives of the concubines in the harem all became much more obedient in an instant.

Emperor Yuanwu has been visiting Kunning Palace more and more frequently these days, but he only goes there for lunch or dinner before leaving.

In order to cooperate with Emperor Yuanwu in playing the role of a miscarriage, Shen Qingwan has been unable to leave the palace recently. Since she has nothing to do in the palace, she has started to research all kinds of new dishes.

It's highly likely that Emperor Yuanwu's frequent visits to Kunning Palace were largely related to this.

"Your Majesty, you've been going to Kunning Palace a lot lately. Are you reminding me that the matter of selecting some young concubines to enrich the harem that I mentioned last time has not yet been resolved?" Shen Qingwan placed a mushroom in Emperor Yuanwu's bowl and said with a hint of teasing.

Emperor Yuanwu paused for a moment, then looked up at her, a faint smile playing on his lips. "If the Empress hadn't brought it up, I would have almost forgotten about it."

"It seems that Consort Xia is very favored by the Emperor. So, should I proceed with the ceremony for this newly entered concubine or not?"

Upon hearing her words, Emperor Yuanwu couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Is the Empress jealous?"

Shen Qingwan: ...

She was simply afraid that she wouldn't be able to get this done, that the newly entered concubines would be left out in the cold like the concubines the Empress Dowager had arranged for them to enter before.

Girls who could enter the palace to become imperial concubines naturally came from good families. Even if they didn't enter the palace, they would marry a young master from a noble family, which was better than spending their whole lives in the palace.

Emperor Yuanwu cleared his throat, looking somewhat uneasy. "The Empress can handle this matter as she sees fit."

“Then I’ll take it as Your Majesty’s consent. When the new concubine enters the palace, Your Majesty can’t let her sit on the sidelines.” Shen Qingwan said, as she served Emperor Yuanwu another bowl of soup.

"The Empress is becoming more and more virtuous."

"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. This pigeon soup contains astragalus, which is excellent for nourishing the body. Your Majesty should drink more."

Emperor Yuanwu:...

Emperor Yuanwu's expression was somewhat indescribable, and he instantly lost his appetite.

He had once hoped that the harem would have such a dignified and virtuous empress in charge, and now he truly had one.

He felt inexplicably uncomfortable, especially when he saw the Empress busy arranging for a few more concubines to enter the palace since there were fewer concubines in the palace. He felt a mix of emotions. "Empress, please eat slowly. I have chosen Consort Xia today. I should go there early so that Consort Xia won't be standing at the palace gate waiting anxiously like she has been the past few days."

After Emperor Yuanwu finished speaking, he stood up, and Shen Qingwan also put down her chopsticks and stood up as well.

"Congratulations to the emperor."

Her voice remained gentle, which only made Emperor Yuanwu's expression grow increasingly unpleasant.

After he left, Shen Qingwan sat back down in front of the food plate and picked up her chopsticks to eat.

Zhen'er: ...

"Your Majesty, I noticed that His Majesty seemed a little unhappy when he went out just now," Zhen'er couldn't help but say.

"Really?" Shen Qingwan's gaze was indifferent, showing no concern whatsoever. "You were perfectly fine during the meal just now, why are you suddenly unhappy?"

Zhen'er: ...

"Your Majesty, are you really unaware?" Zhen'er couldn't help but ask.

"Hmm?" Shen Qingwan looked up at her.

"Your Majesty, actually, the Emperor was quite happy when he came over, and he was in a good mood even during the meal. However, when Your Majesty mentioned bringing new concubines into the palace, the Emperor seemed less happy."

Shen Qingwan continued eating her food without changing her hand movements, completely unconcerned.

Zhen'er could tell that Emperor Yuanwu was unhappy, but she couldn't figure out why.

Even though Emperor Yuanwu was an emperor, he was still a normal man. No man is immune to lust, so how could he not like young concubines?

He was just worried that the concubines she arranged might have ulterior motives, just like when Consort Xian was arranged by Consort Yan.

However, she didn't. She had already chosen the new concubines who would enter the palace. They were not of high social standing, but were beautiful, with big hips, and looked like women who would be good at bearing children.

Moreover, she had asked around and found that these women themselves were willing to enter the palace.

Shen Qingwan's purpose in enriching Emperor Yuanwu's harem was very simple: to have children. As long as there were more children in the harem, there would naturally be more disputes, and Emperor Yuanwu would have more options in choosing a crown prince.

Such a large harem is indeed too desolate; it would be better to have more children.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!" Su Tianhe rushed in from outside.

"what happened?"

"Consort Rou, Consort Rou has miscarried."

"what?"

Shen Qingwan's heart skipped a beat. "How could she have miscarried out of nowhere? The Imperial Hospital kept saying that the pregnancy was stable. Could something have gone wrong? No, I have to go and check on her right now."

"Your Majesty, you are still in your postpartum period, and it is nighttime. How can you leave the palace? Even if Consort Rou's miscarriage is a serious matter, it is not as serious as your health. Your Majesty must not leave the palace at this time." Su Tianhe blocked the Empress's way.

Actually, that night, Emperor Yuanwu stayed in Kunning Palace. Besides Zhen'er, who knew that nothing happened between her and Emperor Yuanwu, Su Tianhe also knew...