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

Chapter 47 Unrepentant
“If Mother refuses, then I have no other choice but to wait for Rong Jingxuan to complain to the Emperor and wait for the Emperor to deal with it. The crime of deceiving the Emperor is a capital offense that will result in the extermination of nine generations of one’s family. If Mother still wants to protect and shield him at this time, then I really have no way to help him.” Shen Qingwan picked up her teacup and took a small sip, indicating that she had no other option.

"Alright, alright, don't be angry. Ultimately, it's your uncle's fault, isn't it? Let's do as you say. Tomorrow, your father and I will take your uncle to the Rong residence to apologize." Seeing that Shen Qingwan seemed to really not want to get involved anymore, Madam Liu didn't dare to continue the stalemate.

Shen Qingwan knew that Liu Shi felt that now that she was in the harem, the Empress Dowager liked her, the Emperor didn't seem to dislike her as much as before, and she was also the Empress.

Liu thought to herself that even if the original owner's uncle made a mistake, so what?

If she were willing to put in a good word for him with Emperor Yuanwu, the matter would be over.

It was Liu's consistent indulgence that allowed the original owner's uncle to disregard even the imperial edict, committing the crime of deceiving the emperor without remorse.

Rong Jingxuan is General Rong's nephew. General Rong died in battle. The more the Emperor values ​​the descendants of loyal and virtuous officials, the more furious he will be when this news spreads!
This marriage must have been arranged when General Rong was still alive.

Now that General Rong is gone, Liu Ruyan refuses to marry him again and even lets her half-sister take her place. If this gets out, the Liu family will face more than just shame.

Shen Qingwan was furious, but things had already come to this point, and getting angry wouldn't help; she still needed to find a solution.

It wasn't easy to get into the palace, so Shen Qingwan had the imperial kitchen prepare a table full of food. After Liu Shi had her dinner, she left the palace by carriage.

Liu has just left.

Shen Qingwan carried the food box and took Zhen'er to Rong Ying's palace.

"This humble servant greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty be blessed."

Rong Ying put down her needlework, walked to the door and bowed, seemingly quite surprised.

"Get up." Shen Qingwan walked in and picked up the half-embroidered purse with a pattern of twin blooming flowers: "Is this embroidered for the Emperor?"

Consort Rong lowered her eyes somewhat shyly: "I'm just passing the time when I have nothing to do. I don't even know when I'll be able to see Your Majesty. I'm just embroidering for fun."

"The stitches are even and precise; the embroidery is very well done," Shen Qingwan praised sincerely.

“If Your Majesty likes it, I will embroider one for you as well. What kind of pattern does Your Majesty prefer?” Consort Rong asked.

Shen Qingwan frowned and thought seriously for a moment: "Crab?"

Rong Daying: ...

"what?"

Shen Qingwan coughed lightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"Anything is fine, as long as it's a flower, I quite like it."

Consort Rong's eyes lit up: "How about lilies? They symbolize a long and happy marriage, just like the sweet and lasting love between the Empress and the Emperor."

Shen Qingwan knew that when Consort Rong said those words, she meant no other.

But after thinking about her sweet love with Emperor Yuanwu, she still felt uneasy. Shen Qingwan felt that her relationship with Emperor Yuanwu, like the one she had now, was the most harmonious one—a superior-subordinate relationship.

Emperor Yuanwu gave her a monthly allowance, and she helped him manage the harem.

Seeing that Shen Qingwan hadn't spoken for a while, and even seemed a little strange, Consort Rong thought for a moment and then asked, "Your Majesty the Empress, is there something you need to do so late?"

Shen Qingwan only snapped out of her daze upon hearing the voice and recounted in detail the events of Liu's visit to the palace that day.

"Actually, I shouldn't have bothered you with this matter, but I still wanted you to pass on a message to Rong Jingxuan: no matter how this matter is resolved, whether Liu Ruyan marries into the family or Liu Miaoling is divorced, our Liu family will absolutely not have a single complaint." Shen Qingwan made her stance clear, stating that she would not cover up the affair and sincerely wanted to resolve the problem.

"Your Majesty, please don't be anxious. I don't think my cousin is unreasonable. He must have been blinded by anger when he said those things. I'll write to him tomorrow and ask him to go and see what's going on. I'll also try to get his opinion on whether there's any chance of a turnaround." Consort Rong paused.

"Your Majesty, please don't stand on ceremony. Last time my brother was seriously ill, it was Your Majesty who sent people to treat and care for him. This kindness is beyond repayment. As for my cousin's matter, I only asked my brother to help persuade him. Whether it succeeds or not is still up to us..."

Shen Qingwan interrupted her.

"You may have misunderstood my purpose in coming here. I am just afraid that my family members will use my position as Empress to pressure Rong Jingxuan, so I came to ask you to pass on a message. I absolutely did not mean for you to persuade them. Such bullying is unacceptable to anyone. If I tolerate them once, there will be a second and a third time. The Rong family are descendants of meritorious officials, and they should not turn black into white and put the cart before the horse just because I am the Empress. Otherwise, I would not have come here in the middle of the night."

"Your Majesty, I understand," Consort Rong said softly.

Shen Qingwan chatted with Consort Rong for a while before returning to Kunning Palace.

The next day in the afternoon.

Lady Liu brought Liu Ruyan into the palace.

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress! Long live the Empress!" Liu Ruyan knelt and bowed.

"Get up."

Shen Qingwan looked Liu Ruyan up and down. She was dressed in a light pink gown with a white gauze over it, revealing her graceful neck and clearly visible collarbone. Her fair face was adorned with delicate pink lips that added a lot of charm to her fair complexion. She was indeed a beauty in the making.

“Cousin, this Kunning Palace is truly magnificent and grand.” Liu Ruyan got up and began to stroll around the main hall of Kunning Palace.

Madam Liu tugged at her sleeve and gave her a series of meaningful glances: "Ruyan, you mustn't be presumptuous. This is the palace, not home. Don't forget the rules."

"Why is Aunt so reserved in her own daughter's palace? Don't be so formal," Liu Ruyan said dismissively.

Shen Qingwan seemed unconcerned about her unruly behavior, but Liu Shi was terrified and pulled her aside, saying, "What's wrong with you, child? Have you forgotten all the rules I told you before you entered the palace? Listen to what your cousin has to say, and leave now. Do you really want to make a big scene? If the Emperor finds out, your whole family will be implicated. If you hadn't threatened to kill yourself to avoid marrying Rong Jingxuan back then, none of this would have happened today."

"Mother, you went to the Rong residence with Father and Uncle yesterday. What did Rong Jingxuan say?" Shen Qingwan asked.

“Rong Jingxuan is a reasonable person and has feelings for Liu Miaoling and her son. However, this matter not only defied the imperial decree but also deceived the Rong family. Therefore, the Rong family wants us to give them an attitude…” Liu’s face was ugly.

"What attitude? Did Rong Jingxuan make it clear?" Shen Qingwan pressed.

(End of this chapter)