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

Chapter 402 With Heart

She couldn't help but glance at Prince Rui.

Although Prince Rui was not looking at her at this moment, his peripheral vision never left her for a moment.

He seemed to have heard what the Empress Dowager said, and a strange glint flashed in his eyes.

That strange thing was fleeting, so fast that it vanished before anyone could even catch a glimpse of it.

Shen Qingwan leaned closer to the Empress Dowager and said in a low voice without moving her lips, "Mother, Prince Rui has arrived."

The Empress Dowager, who was immersed in the singing, suddenly came back to her senses, straightened her posture, and resumed her usual demeanor. "Prince Rui is here."

"Greetings to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."

"Happy birthday, my dear sister-in-law! May you have good fortune, good health, and eternal youth."

Shen Qingwan nodded in return. The Empress Dowager composed herself and said, "Prince Rui has arrived so early. Please take your seats."

“I had nothing to do at home today and wanted to go to the palace to play chess with my brother, but I didn’t expect that he would be so busy. Even on my sister-in-law’s birthday, he couldn’t spare a moment of rest.” Prince Rui looked disappointed.

The Empress Dowager smiled upon hearing this, "Don't you know your brother's temperament? Since you're here, sit down and keep me company."

"Yes, Queen Mother."

After Prince Rui took his seat, the Second Prince and the Eldest Princess played in the hall, chasing each other. Neither of them paid attention and accidentally knocked over the table in front of Shen Qingwan.

The bowl of tea on the table was overturned with a splash.

Although the tea wasn't hot, it spilled all over Shen Qingwan's gorgeous clothes, leaving a large wet patch on her chest.

Consort Zhen and Consort Liang turned pale with fright and pulled the Second Prince and the Eldest Princess to kneel before the Empress.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. The Second Prince did not mean it. It is all my fault. I failed to discipline the Second Prince properly. Please punish me, Your Majesty," Consort Liang said tremblingly.

"Your Majesty, the eldest princess didn't do it on purpose. Your Majesty is happy," Consort Zhen quickly added.

At this moment, the palace servants of Baohe Hall gathered around, some tidying up the tables, others wiping the floor.

"It's alright." Shen Qingwan stood up, her voice still gentle. "I rarely see the children having so much fun. It's lively today, so let them play freely. It's just a piece of clothing; I'll go change."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for not sending it."

The moment Shen Qingwan turned around, Consort Jin spoke up, "Your Majesty the Empress."

Upon hearing this, she paused abruptly, and then heard Consort Jin continue, "It's quite a coincidence that the birthday gift I prepared for Her Majesty the Empress is a magnificent robe. Why don't I accompany Her Majesty the Empress to change into it?"

Shen Qingwan nodded slowly and curtsied to the Empress Dowager. "Mother, I'll go change first. Please wait a moment, I'll come over after I'm done."

"Go."

After Shen Qingwan left, the Empress Dowager paused for a moment, then said, "You may all rise."

After speaking, she summoned the eldest princess and the second prince, punishing them to copy the etiquette rules for attending palace banquets ten times after the Empress's birthday banquet. "Consort Zhen, the eldest princess is grown up now. I understand your love for your child, but a princess must not lack any of the proper etiquette. Although Wan Ying is a girl, she is still the most noble eldest princess, and she must be properly disciplined on a daily basis," the Empress Dowager said with a stern face.

"Your Majesty's reprimand is correct," Consort Zhen said, trembling with fear.

The Empress Dowager couldn't help but glance at Consort Liang again. She wanted to reprimand her, but in her eyes, the Second Prince was indeed not a useful talent. It would be good enough if he could recover his health and grow up healthy. She sighed helplessly.

In Kunning Palace, gifts from various palaces and relatives of the imperial family had already piled up like mountains.

Consort Jin had her searched for quite a while before finally finding the gift set she had sent: a floor-length, flowing, pleated phoenix-tail skirt with flowing sleeves, a jade-green emerald shirt, a pleated skirt with scattered floral patterns and misty green grass, and an emerald-green gauze shawl.

This made Shen Qingwan appear even more beautiful, with skin like solidified cream and a delicate fragrance like a fragrant orchid, exuding a captivating charm.

"This fabric is so comfortable to wear, the stitches are so fine, every stitch is made with care," Shen Qingwan couldn't help but praise.

"It's all thanks to Your Majesty's beauty that you can make such an ordinary dress look so elegant." Consort Jin praised as she helped Shen Qingwan adjust her skirt. "I originally thought Your Majesty would wear this dress on a regular basis, but I never expected it to come in handy on such an important occasion. This dress is truly blessed."

"It was Consort Jin who put her heart into it."

When Shen Qingwan and Consort Jin arrived at the Hall of Preserving Harmony again, Emperor Yuanwu was already there. He sat upright next to the Empress Dowager, with an empty seat next to him, clearly reserved for Shen Qingwan.

On the left, Prince Yao's seat is empty.

This morning, a report came that Prince Yao was unwell and would not be attending the Empress's birthday banquet. Seeing that he did not enter the palace today, the Empress will feel embarrassed.

But everyone with common sense knew that Prince Yao was deliberately giving Emperor Yuanwu the cold shoulder because of his brother-in-law's affair. No matter how much he begged Emperor Yuanwu to be lenient, the emperor refused.

At this moment, the Hall of Preserving Harmony was packed except for the seat of Prince Yao, which inevitably caused many people to whisper about the matter.

Shen Qingwan didn't care at all; on the contrary, she felt much more at ease with Prince Yao away.

"Why didn't Prince Yao come today? Could it be that the Empress didn't invite him?"

"Does Her Majesty the Empress have any grudge against Prince Yao?"

"Don't you know? I heard that a few days ago, Prince Yao's brother-in-law committed murder. Prince Yao's wife, who was still in confinement after giving birth, personally went to the palace to ask the Empress to put in a good word for her. However, she was turned away by the Empress. She must still be angry and deliberately didn't come."

"Her Majesty the Empress usually seems quite kind, how could she be so cold and unapproachable?"

"Actually, we can't entirely blame the Empress. She suffered a miscarriage and is currently recuperating. We haven't seen her since we heard she was unwell."

“A miscarriage doesn’t mean you’re bedridden. The Princess Consort of Prince Yao was kneeling outside begging for an audience even before she had finished her postpartum confinement, and the Empress won’t even see her. Isn’t that a bit too heartless? No wonder Prince Yao didn’t come.”

“In the past, the Empress was not favored, so she naturally obeyed the Emperor in everything. Now that the Empress is favored, how could she possibly put a mere Prince’s wife in her eyes?”

"Poor Princess Consort Yao..."

Shen Qingwan didn't know what grudge Prince Yao had against the original owner. Every time there was a palace banquet, he would always say a few disgusting things to her before he would stop. Today, he didn't come, so it felt much quieter.

But the person who had just spoken behind her seemed to be standing up for Prince Yao. The palace banquet had just begun, and one after another, they carried wine cups and walked up to Shen Qingwan.

"May Her Majesty the Empress enjoy a long and healthy life, unparalleled beauty, and boundless blessings."