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

Chapter 407 Destiny
Emperor Yuanwu frowned deeply and reluctantly followed the palace maid to Lingxiang Pavilion.

"Have you gone to tell the Emperor?"

Consort Ying's delivery was not smooth, and her face was pale and bloodless.

The palace maid who went to report the good news to the Emperor hesitated for a while. She dared not say at this moment that she hadn't even seen the Emperor's face, so she could only vaguely say, "Your Majesty, it seems that Consort Xi's delivery did not go smoothly. The Emperor has gone to Lingxiang Pavilion, and should be here soon..."

Even when offering words of comfort, the young palace maid could no longer continue her charade, for she had not seen the Emperor and naturally did not know what his intentions were or whether he would come over later.

Before she could finish speaking, her hesitant manner made Consort Ying understand everything without asking any further questions.

Indeed, in this harem, one must either have the emperor's favor or a powerful backer. Someone like her has neither favor nor a powerful backer, and her brother is stationed at the border, which makes Emperor Yuanwu wary of her.

Consort Ying lay back down and shook her head with a wry smile.

"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived..."

Queen?

A glint of light flashed in Consort Ying's dim eyes. She forced herself to sit up and curtsy, but Shen Qingwan had already walked up to her. "You've just given birth, there's no need for such formalities."

"Thank you very much, Your Majesty."

"How are you feeling? If you feel unwell anywhere, don't hide it. See the imperial physician immediately to put your mind at ease," Shen Qingwan carefully instructed, one by one. "Where is the child? I haven't even seen the child yet."

"Quickly, quickly, go and have the wet nurse bring the child over for Her Majesty the Empress to see..."

Before Consort Ying could finish speaking, Zhen'er rushed in from outside, "Your Majesty, Consort Xi is probably not going to make it."

Can't do it?
When Consort Ying heard these words, her eyes trembled violently.

"what happened?"

Compared to her, Shen Qingwan's reaction was much calmer. She had foreseen this day when the Empress Dowager had repeatedly bestowed various tonics upon her. She originally thought that since Consort Xi was her cousin, she might be lenient with her. However, she underestimated the Empress Dowager's ruthlessness.

Shen Qingwan smiled calmly at Consort Ying, "I'll go and see you. You've just given birth, so please take care of your health first. We'll talk about this after you've recovered."

Consort Ying moved her lips as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she could only force out a single word, "Yes."

When Shen Qingwan arrived at Lingxiang Pavilion, she had just stepped into the bedroom when she was met with a strong smell of blood and pus, which made her frown.

She paused, then asked Physician Zhang, "How is Consort Xi?"

Physician Zhang's expression was grave. "Your Majesty, the child is too big, and Consort Xi has suffered a postpartum hemorrhage."

"What about the child?" Shen Qingwan asked immediately.

"Your Majesty, it is a prince. The prince is fair-skinned and chubby, and he cried loudly when he was born. Everything is fine."

Shen Qingwan breathed a long sigh of relief and walked to Consort Xi's bedside to straighten the blanket covering her.

On her way there, she heard that the Emperor originally wanted to visit Consort Ying and her daughter, but was stopped by the palace maids of Lingxiang Pavilion halfway there.

When Emperor Yuanwu arrived at Lingxiang Pavilion, he left only the words "Protect the child" before turning and departing. The calming incense burning in the Cining Palace could not soothe the Empress Dowager's mind. She knelt before the Buddha statue, holding a string of prayer beads in her hand, chanting long scriptures as if she were repenting for her past misdeeds.

"Wow……"

A loud cry broke the tranquility of Cining Palace as Shen Qingwan entered, carrying the Fifth Prince.

"Your daughter-in-law greets Your Majesty, may Your Majesty be blessed."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager slowly turned around. She gestured for Zhang Mama to take the child out and beckoned Shen Qingwan over.

The Empress Dowager remained silent, reciting scriptures with her eyes closed. Only after finishing that page did she slowly speak, "Actually, you knew all along, didn't you?"

Shen Qingwan was slightly taken aback. "What is Mother saying? I don't understand."

The Empress Dowager was not angry. She put down the prayer beads in her hand, slowly turned her head, and looked at Shen Qingwan from the side. "If you hadn't known everything all along, why did you insist on letting Consort Xi move to Lingxiang Pavilion to live alone?"

“Both Consort Jin and Consort Xia are innocent people.” Shen Qingwan lowered her eyes.

“You are much smarter than I think,” the Empress Dowager said without changing her posture.

“But…” Shen Qingwan’s eyes were sincere, “Mother doesn’t like smart people.”

Shen Qingwan smiled, her beautiful face revealing a hint of sarcasm. "Did Mother also believe that monk's words and think that her daughter-in-law doesn't have the destiny of a phoenix and that riding the auspicious clouds and wind is a lie?"

"The Empress is so clever that she can see through Consort Xi's affair without saying a word, and protect the person she wants to protect so meticulously. How could she not understand the reason behind this?" The Empress Dowager laughed out loud. "The Empress has worked hard in the harem for many years. It's time for her to rest."

Shen Qingwan curtsied and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your kindness. I will return to the palace now."

Emperor Yuanwu had a son and a daughter on the same day, a joyous occasion never before seen in the imperial harem.

Consort Ying was promoted to Imperial Concubine Ying and moved to Jingyang Palace.

Consort Xi was posthumously granted the title of Consort Xi and was buried with the rites due to a consort.

The Fifth Prince was left in Cining Palace. It is said that young children can see things that ordinary people cannot. Whether the Fifth Prince missed his birth mother or saw something unclean, he cried incessantly in Cining Palace every day.

After three months of care, the Empress Dowager became so disturbed by his antics that she fell seriously ill. She then found him a foster mother in the inner palace herself.

Consort Yao?
Shen Qingwan was somewhat surprised that the Empress Dowager would entrust the Fifth Prince to her.

However, nowadays in the imperial harem, the concubines of higher rank all have their own children, and those of lower rank are not suitable to be the foster mothers of princes.

Upon closer examination, it seems that Consort Yao is indeed a good candidate. However, Shen Qingwan also feels that the Empress Dowager's decision to give the Fifth Prince to Consort Yao is perhaps an attempt to make up for the sin of the contraceptive soup she received when she entered the palace, which prevented her from ever having children again.

On the day Consort Yao took the Fifth Prince away from Cining Palace, he surprisingly neither cried nor made a fuss. He simply stared at his new mother with his big, round eyes.

I wonder if his mother told him something in a dream, which is why he was so obedient and well-behaved that day.

Shen Qingwan remembered that the first time she met Consort Xi was not long after the imperial concubine selection. It was in her bedchamber in Cining Palace. She remembered that when the Empress Dowager told her about Consort Xi, she said that Consort Xi had met Emperor Yuanwu once when she was young and had never forgotten the emperor. That's why she asked me to grant her permission to participate in the imperial concubine selection. Unexpectedly, she was actually selected.

All of this was under the control of the Empress Dowager and Emperor Yuanwu, who controlled the fate of everyone in the harem.