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

Chapter 383: Relegated to limbo
It was because of the bad things he had done in the past that someone covered for him every time that he became more and more unscrupulous, to the point that in the end, after the birth of the legitimate son of Prince Yao's wife, he no longer even cared about the law.

But he completely forgot that princes are subject to the same laws as commoners.

Emperor Yuanwu paid no heed to Physician Li's words, and instead shouted loudly at the door, "Wu Jixiang, go to Prince Yao's residence and bring Physician Zhang to me."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After kneeling in worship, Wu Jixiang led his men out of the hall in a hurry.

Shen Qingwan looked at Jiang Wenlan with concern. Thinking of his earlier rejection of Emperor Yuanwu, she cautiously reached out and touched his trembling hand. "Come to your mother, okay?"

Jiang Wenlan looked up and stared at Shen Qingwan as if trying to identify something. After a while, he burst into tears and threw himself into Shen Qingwan's arms. "Empress Mother, Mother doesn't want me anymore. Don't you want me either?"

Shen Qingwan was stunned by his words.

Emperor Yuanwu looked at her with even greater surprise.

Although Shen Qingwan didn't know the reason why Jiang Wenlan said such a thing, she gently stroked his head and comforted him, "Don't be afraid, eldest prince. How could the Empress Mother not want him? Not only the Empress Mother, but the Emperor Father wouldn't either."

Jiang Wenlan's sobs gradually subsided. He raised his head, his eyes still red, and asked sincerely, "Since both Empress Dowager and Father Emperor want me, why does Consort De want me to live with her? I've only met Consort De a few times. Empress Dowager, please ask Father Emperor for me. I just want to live alone in the Prince's Residence and I don't want to go anywhere else."

Shen Qingwan was stunned for a moment, then looked up at Emperor Yuanwu.

"Consort De!" A glint of light suddenly flashed in Emperor Yuanwu's lifeless eyes, flickering uncertainly: "You really have a lot of nerve!"

Consort De was so frightened that she shuddered and felt her mind go blank.

"Emperor...Emperor..."

"Is what the First Prince said true? You just offered to escort him back to his residence, was it to tell him these things?"

"Your Majesty...I...this concubine..."

Consort De seemed genuinely frightened, and for a moment she became incoherent, even mispronouncing her own name.

"Very well!" Emperor Yuanwu sneered. "I really didn't expect that Consort De would have such thoughts, wanting to adopt the eldest prince? Consort De must be very interested in my dragon throne."

Consort De was speechless for a moment. She was sobbing uncontrollably and could not utter a single coherent sentence for a long time.

"By my decree, Consort De is demoted to a low-ranking official, stripped of her title, given thirty strokes of the cane, and banished to the Cold Palace!"

The Cold Palace!

"Your Majesty, I was wrong, I was really wrong, Your Majesty, please forgive me, I will never dare to do it again..."

Consort De's cries grew fainter and fainter, gradually disappearing into the night, but Emperor Yuanwu's gloomy eyes showed no sign of relief.

No one saw that as Consort De was dragged away by the guards, Jiang Wenlan, who was nestled in Shen Qingwan's arms, had a subtle, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips.

It's already late at night...

The palace, however, remained brightly lit.

Consort De's heart-wrenching cries echoed throughout the entire harem.

Thirty strokes of the cane would almost kill someone who has lived a life of luxury.

Even if she managed to hold on, there were no imperial physicians available in the cold palace, and she would probably have to rely on herself to heal her wounds.

As the weather gets warmer, if she gets infected and inflamed, it will probably be worse than death. Shen Qingwan, on the other hand, thinks that if she could die under these thirty lashes, it might be the best ending.

Emperor Yuanwu waited until Jiang Wenlan fell asleep before leaving the Prince's quarters. He had no particular interest in the matter and went straight back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Before Jiang Wenlan fell asleep, he held Shen Qingwan's hand tightly. She tried to pull her hand away, but the more she tried, the tighter Jiang Wenlan gripped it.

After several attempts to pull her hand away without success, Shen Qingwan simply let him hold it.

As the eastern sky began to lighten, Jiang Wenlan groggily woke up to find Shen Qingwan asleep on the edge of the bed, one hand holding his and the other under her head.

"Empress Mother." Jiang Wenlan reached out and touched her arm. "Empress Mother, please wake up."

Shen Qingwan had barely slept all night, and being woken up now made her feel even more dizzy.

She yawned lazily and glanced at Jiang Wenlan.

Shen Qingwan was just thinking about how disheveled and dirty she looked, wondering if she looked particularly ugly, when she heard Jiang Wenlan say in surprise, "Empress Mother, what are you doing here?"

Shen Qingwan: ...

It's because he's holding my hand that I can't walk at all.

"Is the eldest prince feeling any better?"

Before Shen Qingwan could finish speaking, she saw the First Prince's eyes redden, and she panicked instantly. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Imperial Physician, quickly go and call the Imperial Physician!"

"Your Majesty, you stayed here with me all night?" Jiang Wenlan's eyes were filled with undisguised shock. "Your Majesty, you are still in your postpartum period. Why didn't you go back and rest properly? I'm fine."

"Your Majesty is alright," Shen Qingwan said softly.

While the two were talking, Physician Zhang, Physician Li, and several other physicians from the Imperial Hospital walked in together.

This scene makes it seem as if the eldest prince is hanging by a thread, about to die.

When I fell and fainted yesterday, only one physician, Dr. Li, came from the Imperial Hospital.

In his daily life, Imperial Physician Li only served some concubines of the rank of Noble Lady in the palace, and he rarely even served concubines of the rank of Consort.

It seems that Emperor Yuanwu's outburst at the prince yesterday had an effect.

From now on, not only the Imperial Hospital, but even the entire harem, will not dare to underestimate the First Prince.

After taking Jiang Wenlan's pulse, Physician Zhang went to prepare the medicine. The remaining physicians carefully changed Jiang Wenlan's dressing before leaving.

Shen Qingwan discovered that Jiang Wenlan had an extremely high tolerance for pain. When the dressing was changed, the gauze was lifted to reveal the bloody wound. He was in so much pain that his face turned pale, his whole body trembled, and he was covered in sweat, but he didn't utter a single word of pain.

He really does resemble Emperor Yuanwu quite a bit.

After the imperial physician left, Shen Qingwan dismissed all the palace maids and servants in the bedchamber and had Zhen'er and Su Tianhe guard the door.

"Eldest Prince, do you believe in the Empress Dowager?"

Jiang Wenlan was taken aback by the question, but nodded without hesitation, "Your subject naturally trusts Your Majesty. In this palace, only Your Majesty truly cares for your subject."

Shen Qingwan smiled gently as she sat on the edge of the bed, holding his hand. "Could you tell your mother, after Father Emperor left last night, what exactly did Consort De say to you? How exactly did you hurt your leg?"