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

Chapter 52 Seeking Death
"I don't know what the Emperor was thinking. He hasn't been to the inner palace for so many days. When he finally does come, he goes to that ugly woman's place. Isn't he afraid of waking up in the middle of the night and having nightmares when he sees Consort Li's face?"

Consort De kept rambling on and on, until her personal maid, Pei'er, tugged at her sleeve: "Your Highness, please stop talking."

"What do you mean, 'stop talking'? Why can't I talk about it? What's wrong with you these days? I'm almost out of favor, and you won't even let me complain a little?"

"Your Majesty!" Pei'er was so anxious she was almost crying, and she kept giving Consort De meaningful glances.

"Smallpox was too lenient on that ugly hag. Her face should have been completely rotten, then let's see what she'll use to seduce the Emperor..."

"Consort De, are you trying to ruin everyone's face? Are you calling someone an ugly monster?"

Zhang Mama helped the Empress Dowager walk to the back of Consort De.

The moment the Empress Dowager's voice fell, the color drained visibly from Consort De's face, leaving her deathly pale. She slowly turned around, her knees buckling as she knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I... I didn't mean that, I..."

The Empress Dowager's face darkened: "Then Consort De, tell me, what exactly do you mean?"

Shen Qingwan was looking at the menu for dinner in Kunning Palace when she learned of this.

The smallpox was over, the new concubines had been properly arranged to enter the palace, and Emperor Yuanwu had come to the harem to favor his concubines. Everything seemed to have been brought back on track.

She can now take the time to carefully consider what to eat.

Nothing in this world can satisfy my desires; how can I exchange it for jade-like sliced ​​water shield?

Fish sliced ​​thinly and stewed with pickled vegetables is truly a delicacy on a cold day.

"Zhen'er, go tell the imperial kitchen that I want to eat water shield soup tonight."

"Your Majesty." Zhen'er walked in quickly from outside the palace. "Your Majesty, I will send someone to the Imperial Kitchen to deliver a message in a moment, but I just heard something."

"What is it?" Shen Qingwan asked.

"It was Consort De. I don't know what she said today, but she angered the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager was furious and not only stripped her of her power to assist in managing the six palaces, but also fined her a year's worth of monthly allowance."

Shen Qingwan was taken aback: "What?"

That Consort De is really something. Of all the people in the palace, she has the most gossipy mouth. It would be one thing if she talked about it in private behind closed palace doors, but how did she let the Empress Dowager hear it?

The matter of stripping Consort De of her power to manage the six palaces is a small matter. Of the three consorts, one is ill and the other is busy taking care of the Third Prince. She will be busy with all the affairs of the palace in the future, and the end of the year is just around the corner.

Shen Qingwan sighed inwardly. She now hoped that Consort Rou could give birth to her child safely and be granted the title of Consort and the power to assist in managing the six palaces. However, if that were the case, Consort Rou would have to give birth to a prince.

Shen Qingwan was genuinely curious about what Consort De had said that had angered the Empress Dowager so much that not only was her monthly allowance reduced, but she was also going to strip Consort De of her power to assist in managing the six palaces.

The next morning, Shen Qingwan was just about to go to Cining Palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager.

A eunuch came to deliver a message, saying that Lady Liu had arrived at the palace gate and wanted to request an audience.

No one was allowed to enter the inner palace without an imperial edict, but since Lady Liu was the Empress's birth mother, the guards at the palace gates dared not neglect her. They simply told her to wait a moment while they waited for him to go to the palace to deliver a message. Now that he had arrived at the palace gate, it seemed he had come on business, and Shen Qingwan naturally couldn't refuse to see him.

Not long after the guards left, Lady Liu's carriage stopped at the entrance of Kunning Palace.

When Liu came this time, she was not as proper as before. As soon as she got off the carriage, she knelt down on the ground crying.

Shen Qingwan hurriedly helped her up: "Mother, what's wrong? Let's talk inside."

"Qingwan, please let your cousin go. She's young and doesn't know any better. No matter what, we're all family. Can you really bear to let her stay in a nunnery for the rest of her life?" Liu cried and knelt at the entrance of Kunning Palace, refusing to get up.

Palace maids and eunuchs passing by would occasionally glance in this direction.

Zhen'er took Liu's other arm and glanced at the palace maids who were whispering to each other: "Madam, if you have something to say, please get up and go to the palace to say it. Don't let people laugh at us here."

It would have been better if Zhen'er hadn't reminded her; as soon as Zhen'er finished speaking, Liu's crying seemed to grow even louder.

Zhen'er: ...

Shen Qingwan simply let go of her hand, frowned, looked down at her, and let her kneel on the ground crying and making a scene.

Zhen'er and Su Tianhe helped Liu Shi into the main hall of Yikun Palace, one on each side.

“You are now the Empress, and our Liu family has not benefited from it at all. Now we have even sent your cousin to the Three Saints Nunnery. How can the Liu family hold our heads high after this? Do you know that last night, Ruyan almost slit her own throat with a white silk ribbon at the Three Saints Nunnery?”

Shen Qingwan finally understood why Madam Liu had come uninvited today; it turned out to be because of this.

Liu Ruyan's threatening tactics haven't changed at all over the years; she always threatens suicide.

Back then, she used the same method to force her uncle to let his illegitimate daughter take her place and marry into the Rong family.

It was because of this one instance of leniency that she became even more reckless. If we release her from the Sansheng Nunnery this time because she is about to commit suicide again, what about next time? And the time after that?

"Mother, how long are you going to indulge my uncle's family? Whenever Liu Ruyan is unhappy, she threatens to kill herself. If she holds a knife to her neck and demands that I give her the throne, and if I don't comply, she threatens to die, what will you do?"

Liu was taken aback by Shen Qingwan's question, and her crying stopped abruptly. It took her a while to come back to her senses: "No, no, she wouldn't do that. She hasn't read many books, so how could she want to be the empress? Your cousin just wants to marry Young Master Zhao. You just need to release her from the Sansheng Nunnery."

"Releasing her out is impossible. She's not a child anymore. You and your uncle can't just give in to her every whim because she cries and throws a tantrum. A few days ago, there was a smallpox outbreak in the palace, and Rong Yuze made a great contribution. The Emperor was overjoyed and not only rewarded Rong Yuze but also promoted Rong Ying, who served in his palace, to the rank of Noble Lady. Mother, do you really want to go against the Rong family?"

Liu was stunned and choked up, unable to speak for a long time.

“Mother, you know better than anyone why I married the Emperor. The Shen family has long lost its former glory. If it weren’t for my position as Empress, the Liu family would be many times worse off than the Rong family was back then. You must know that, Mother. If you insist on pleading for my cousin, then let the Emperor decide her crime of deceiving the Emperor. Anyway, I have no children after being married to the Emperor for so many years, so I am not afraid of being implicated!”

"No, no, no, Mother was just anxious and made a mistake. His Majesty is busy with state affairs, so please don't bother him with such a small matter. When we get back, I will definitely ask my uncle to discipline Ruyan properly. Please don't be angry, Mother was being presumptuous."

(End of this chapter)