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

Chapter 414 (Extra Chapter) (First Encounter 5)

"what……"

Shen Qingwan almost screamed before collapsing to the ground.

Upon hearing the sound, Shen Wenqian hurriedly took two steps forward, picked her up from the ground, and knelt down. "Your Majesty, please forgive me. My daughter is young and ignorant and has startled Your Majesty. Please punish her."

Jiang Yuxian, who had been standing there in a daze, suddenly came to his senses. He felt uneasy, as if he was afraid that Jiang Wenying would blame Shen Qingwan, so he casually threw the crab in his hand.

"Father, it's all my fault. I frightened Wanwan. If you want to punish me, then punish me."

Jiang Wenying seemed startled by the crying. He paused for a moment, walked up to Shen Wenqian, and reached out to pat Shen Qingwan's head.

"I heard that when Wanwan was born, the sky was filled with auspicious clouds. Such a blessed child, how could she be so frightened by a crab? She's a bit timid!"

After Jiang Wenying finished speaking, he walked straight towards the house where Jiang Yuxian lived.

The group of people were left behind, and it took them a while to recover.

Shen Wenqian paused for a moment, looked at Shen Qingwan in his arms, and raised his hand to wipe the fine sweat from his forehead.

He was pondering what Jiang Wenying had just said.

In the distance, a door was opened a crack, a slow sigh of relief was heard, and the door was closed tightly.

After everyone had left, Jiang Yuxian cautiously walked up to Shen Qingwan.

With a hint of guilt, he cautiously spoke, "Wanwan."

Shen Wenqian rose in a panic and bowed, “Seventh Prince, it was Wanwan’s youth and ignorance that startled the Emperor and the prince. It was Wanwan’s fault.”

"Lord Shen, may I speak with Wanwan alone for a moment?" Jiang Yuxian said politely.

Shen Wenqian looked at Shen Qingwan, whose eyes were wet with tears. He was worried, but as a subject, he had to obey his brother's words. He could only reluctantly put Shen Qingwan on the ground and said, "Wanwan, play with the Seventh Prince for a while. Father will come and coax you to sleep later."

Shen Qingwan lowered her head and nodded gently. She wasn't afraid of Jiang Yuxian; she was just afraid of the crab in his hand.

Shen Wenqian turned back three times as he left, his unease impossible to hide.

After he walked away.

Jiang Yuxian walked up to Shen Qingwan, his face full of apology, "Wanwan, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have scared you, but..."

He paused for a moment, as if trying to defend himself, before saying, "I didn't know you were afraid of crabs. I heard from the villagers that when they were starving, they steamed crabs and ate them. They were delicious, so I thought I'd catch some for you to see."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingwan abruptly raised her head, her eyes flashing with a clear light as she stared at Jiang Yuxian. "If it weren't for those crabs, so many people wouldn't have died in the city. It was the crabs that caused such suffering to people, so why do you still think they are a delicious treat?"

Jiang Yuxian was taken aback.

He stared at the bewildered girl, unsure how to explain to her that so many people had died in the city because of a three-year drought that left them starving and dead in the streets, making the epidemic difficult to control.

Crabs are only one part of it...

He didn't let her dwell on the matter any longer; he simply sat down on the steps and pulled Shen Qingwan to sit next to him.

"Wanwan, since you hate crabs and are afraid of insects so much, then Brother Xian can take you to a place where there are no insects or crabs, and lots of delicious pastries. Would Wanwan like to go with Brother Xian?"

Shen Qingwan didn't seem to believe him much, looking at him thoughtfully for a while before asking, "Does such a place really exist?" Jiang Yuxian smiled in relief, "Of course it does. That's where Brother Xian grew up. It's called the Imperial Palace. The Imperial Palace not only has delicious pastries, but also all kinds of beautiful flowers and endless pretty dresses. Brother Xian's mother also lives there. Would you like to go, Wanwan?"

Are you willing to go?

Delicious pastries, beautiful flowers.

She recalled the pastries Jiang Yuyan had given her during the day, which were indeed the most delicious pastries she had ever tasted, and she believed her words.

But then she thought, "If I go to the palace with Brother Xian, will Wanwan still be able to stay with Father? If Father doesn't tell Wanwan stories at night, Wanwan will be scared and won't be able to sleep."

Jiang Yuxian laughed heartily, "Brother Xian said that when Wanwan grows up, he will take her to the palace. When Wanwan grows up, she won't pester Father to tell her stories to sleep anymore. Wanwan wants to go with Xian..."

Jiang Yuxian didn't finish his sentence, but his cheeks were already flushed.

“If Wanwan doesn’t want to be separated from her mother and father, that’s fine too. Then Brother Xian can ask Father Emperor to grant Rongcheng to Brother Xian as his fief. When Brother Xian grows up, he can come and stay with Wanwan, okay?” Jiang Yuxian said with a hint of doting.

"Brother Xian, aren't you afraid of the dark? Don't you want to sleep with Mother?" At this time, Shen Qingwan was still young and couldn't understand what Jiang Yuxian meant by what he said.

She hadn't worn a new dress in two years, and she was a little skeptical about whether the place Jiang Yuxian had described, with its endless supply of beautiful dresses, was really true.

"Brother, are there osmanthus trees in the palace? Wanwan loves osmanthus."

Jiang Yuxian was slightly taken aback by the question. It seemed that there really was no osmanthus cake in the palace, but his mother seemed to really like eating osmanthus cake.

"One day, Brother Xian will plant osmanthus trees all over the place where Wanwan lives. In autumn, we will pick osmanthus flowers together, dry them, and use them to make tea and pastries."

He wanted to say that he wanted to plant osmanthus trees all over the palace for her, but then he thought that he might not live in that palace for the rest of his life.

If one day he could live with his mother and Wanwan in Rongcheng, a city where it never snows in winter, it wouldn't be so bad.

The next morning, before dawn.

Shen Qingwan was still asleep when she was woken up by her maid.

"Miss, the Emperor is leaving today, you really can't sleep anymore."

She was initially a little reluctant to part with her two older brothers, but now all she could understand was why she had to get up so early...

Jiang Wenying sat on his horse, with Jiang Yuxian in his arms.

"Your Majesty, I respectfully bid you farewell. Long live the Emperor!"

With the sound of horses' hooves, Jiang Yuxian turned around and glanced at the little girl kneeling beside Shen Wenqian.

The autumn wind swept past the osmanthus tree beside her, scattering golden petals all over the ground, with a few landing on Shen Qingwan.

Ten days later.

The palace's rewards flowed into the Shen residence like a river.

"Lord Shen, the contents of this package were specially instructed by the Imperial Concubine to be given to Miss Shen."

The royal concubine?

Currently, there is only one Imperial Concubine in the palace, namely Imperial Concubine Ying, Jiang Yuxian's birth mother.