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

Chapter 53 Emotional Intelligence
"No matter what, Ruyan is someone I've watched grow up since she was little. It pains me to see her suffer at the Sansheng Nunnery. I'm really afraid that one day she might do something rash..."

As she spoke, Madam Liu couldn't help but cry again: "If the Emperor really blames us, I'm afraid not only the Liu family and the Shen family will suffer, but you will also be implicated."

“Mother understands this in her heart, so there’s no need for me to say more. My cousin repents for the mistakes she made before Buddha every day. It’s much better than being beheaded for the crime of deceiving the emperor. The emperor has already shown leniency by not pursuing the matter. Do you and uncle really want to make the emperor so angry that you won’t be satisfied?”

Liu stopped speaking, but Shen Qingwan could tell from her expression that she was not very happy.

The original owner's mother was truly a complicated character. It seemed that her niece held a much higher place in her heart than the original owner's daughter. She was only worried that her niece was not doing well in the Buddhist temple, but she never thought that the mistakes she made out of ignorance might implicate her own daughter.

The hardships of living in the deep palace were already too much for the original owner, who had already lost her life. Was all of that less important than her niece's every smile and frown?

Even though Shen Qingwan genuinely disliked the original owner of the body as her mother, she still had to fulfill her filial duties since she had taken over someone else's body.

Shen Qingwan invited Lady Liu to have dinner in the palace and bestowed upon her many gifts. When Lady Liu left, a smile finally appeared on her face.

Shen Qingwan thought to herself, "Money has always been a good thing; it can cure everything."

The morning was unpleasant. After seeing Lady Liu off from the palace, Shen Qingwan lay down on the bed and took a nap. When she opened her eyes again, it was almost evening, but there was still some time before dinner.

Shen Qingwan changed her clothes, put on a cloak, and wanted to take a stroll in the Imperial Garden. There weren't many flowers blooming in winter, and it wasn't the season for plum blossoms yet, so she figured she could still pick some roses to bring back.

Although the flower shop sends flowers to Kunning Palace every day, it's her life, and if nothing unexpected happens, she'll probably live in Kunning Palace for the rest of her life.

But it's hard to say...

Shen Qingwan felt a headache coming on when she thought of the original owner's large family.

There was still some distance to walk from Kunning Palace to the Imperial Garden, and just as we turned the corner, we unexpectedly bumped into Emperor Yuanwu.

The two of them were clearly taken aback when they saw each other; they were obviously both surprised.

Shen Qingwan curtsied: "Your Majesty."

"Where is the Empress planning to go?" Emperor Yuanwu asked, looking at her cloaked up and wrapped up tightly, as if she were about to go on a long trip.

"I want to go to the Imperial Garden to pick some flowers and take them back to keep in the house," Shen Qingwan said.

Should we go to the Imperial Garden to pick some flowers?

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuanwu frowned slightly: "Are the servants in the flower room not doing their job properly? Why does the Empress have to pick the flowers herself? If that's really the case, I will certainly not let them off easily."

"Your Majesty, the servants in the flower room are very dedicated. They send over the finest flowers every day. The flowers are delicate and beautiful, and each one is excellent," Shen Qingwan explained.

"Then the Empress is..."

Emperor Yuanwu was very puzzled.

"The flowers delivered by the greenhouse are all good, carefully cultivated, but they may not be to my liking. I want to live in a palace for the rest of my life, so I don't want to rely on others. I want to decorate it myself, and I'll feel more comfortable living there."

Emperor Yuanwu's eyes flickered as he listened to her.

Live here for a lifetime?

Upon hearing those four words, Emperor Yuanwu's eyes flickered, and he looked up at Shen Qingwan.

He was quite surprised to hear such words from him, after all, when they had just gotten married, she had caused quite a bit of trouble at home. It was always something that didn't go her way, and in short, nothing she wanted to do was to please her.

Who would have thought that one day she would genuinely consider a place she once disliked as her home?

As if deliberately trying to conceal something, Emperor Yuanwu coughed lightly and said, "I just finished reviewing the memorials and happen to have some free time now."

"Then Your Majesty, come with me to stroll in the Imperial Garden. If you see any flowers you like, pick a bunch and keep them in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. It will make you feel better when you are reviewing memorials."

Emperor Yuanwu raised an eyebrow and walked side by side with Shen Qingwan toward the Imperial Garden.

After taking only two steps, Emperor Yuanwu suddenly spoke up: "I heard that Lady Liu recently entered the palace."

“His Majesty must have heard more than just this little bit of information.” Shen Qingwan stopped and subconsciously turned her head to look at him, only to meet his slightly upturned lips.

"Is the Empress referring to the marriage between the Liu and Rong families?" Emperor Yuanwu paused. "Actually, I only mentioned this casually back then. It wasn't an official decree to arrange a marriage. I heard that the Empress was furious about it and even sent her cousin to the Sansheng Nunnery. A teenage girl spending her life with a Buddhist lamp is a bit disrespectful to her own family."

"His Majesty's casual remark was a sign of his leniency and generosity towards my maternal family. If we don't use this incident to teach the Liu family a lesson, I'm afraid they will cause countless troubles in the future. Now everyone knows they are relatives of the Empress. If today's indulgence leads to a major disaster in the future, it's a small matter if it implicates me, but what if it causes the royal family to lose face? What then?" Shen Qingwan smiled with relief.

"The Empress's words are very sensible," Emperor Yuanwu nodded in agreement.

This matter is neither a big deal nor a small one, but once it sets a precedent, it will be a significant one.

The concubines and their relatives throughout the palace all followed suit, each claiming to be a member of the imperial family. With so many concubines in the harem, wouldn't the court be in chaos?

"My cousin has relied on her uncle and mother's love since she was a child, which is why she doesn't care about anything. If anything goes her way, she will threaten to kill herself. If she continues to be so stubborn, no matter who her good match is, she will not be satisfied. It would be better for her to be alone with the ancient Buddha and cultivate her mind and character. That way, she can live a peaceful life. People are born from love and desire, which leads to worry and fear. Without love, there is no worry; without worry, there is no fear."

"Your Majesty, could you please explain the meaning of the last sentence to me? I don't quite understand it."

"Because of greed and attachment, one suffers from anxiety and fear. If one is free from desires and wants, one can be free from worry and fear. A person without desires has an open mind and noble character," Shen Qingwan said calmly.

Emperor Yuanwu looked the Empress up and down, as if she were someone he had never truly understood: "I never imagined that the Empress would be familiar with the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra?"

Shen Qingwan: ...

They could even clearly state the source, and still asked her to explain.

Emperor Yuanwu must be poisonous!

She herself is the more toxic one.

She actually managed to explain it!

Shen Qingwan couldn't help but mutter a curse word in her mind.

Even with three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines, the emperors of ancient times didn't develop high emotional intelligence. Not only were their words unpleasant to hear, but sometimes they also inexplicably made people feel like they deserved a beating.

As they talked, they unknowingly walked to the lakeside in the center of the Imperial Garden, and then stopped at the same time.

(End of this chapter)