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

Chapter 77 Joke
Shen Qingwan listened to Zhen'er's words and sighed helplessly in her heart.

Women in this era had a low social status, not because of their birth or fate, but because it was deeply ingrained in their very being.

From the day she was born, she never talked about wanting others to respect her; she herself never respected herself.

As evening approached, Emperor Yuanwu still did not choose a concubine, but sent word that he would have dinner at Consort Xian's palace.

At 1:15 PM.

Emperor Yuanwu led his entourage to Jingyang Palace in a grand procession.

Upon hearing the sound, Consort Ruan hurriedly ran out of the palace. Looking at the jewels on her head and the makeup on her face, it was clear that she had been carefully dressed up.

She thought that her chance encounter with Emperor Yuanwu in the Imperial Garden had caught the emperor's attention, so he came over before dark.

Ruan Changzai secretly rejoiced; her good days were truly about to begin.

Whenever the emperor summoned her to his bedchamber, she would find a way to make him come to her palace every day.

"The emperor..."

As Ruan Changzai lifted her skirt, intending to curtsy, Emperor Yuanwu didn't even glance at her and walked straight towards Consort Xian's palace.

"Your Majesty, I wish you good fortune."

Emperor Yuanwu reached out and helped Consort Xian, who was kneeling on the ground, to her feet: "You're not fully recovered yet. I told you not to kneel. Why did you kneel down again?"

"I am delighted that Your Majesty has come to my palace for a meal. For a moment, I forgot about my back injury. Please do not blame me, Your Majesty."

Emperor Yuanwu took her hand and led her to sit down in front of the food platter: "Knowing that Your Majesty was coming, I had it prepared in advance. These are all Your Majesty's favorite dishes. Please try them while they are hot."

After Consort Xian finished speaking, she picked up a piece of pigeon meat and placed it in Emperor Yuanwu's bowl: "Your Majesty, please try this matsutake mushroom stewed pigeon. It is extremely nourishing. Your Majesty works hard on state affairs every day, so you should also take good care of your health."

"Consort Xian has put in a lot of effort." After saying this, Emperor Yuanwu also put a piece of pigeon meat into Consort Xian's bowl: "You have been sick for some time and you look thin. After a while, when you have recovered, I will have someone hang up your green head plaque."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Consort Xian said, her eyes reddening, on the verge of tears.

"How could you be upset while we were eating a perfectly fine meal?" Emperor Yuanwu pulled Consort Xian to sit on his lap.

"I'm not sad, I'm happy. I thought Your Majesty would never like me again, and would never want to pay attention to me again." Consort Xian's tears kept falling.

"How could I bear to part with it?" Emperor Yuanwu sighed helplessly. "I also have my own difficulties..."

Before Emperor Yuanwu could finish speaking, Consort Xian hurriedly covered his mouth with her fingertips: "Your Majesty doesn't need to say anything, I understand. Your Majesty is the ruler of the country, I don't feel wronged, I only feel sorry for Your Majesty."

"Alright, it's been a long time since I've dined with Consort Xian. I'll stay here with her tonight and not go anywhere else."

Consort Xian's eyes glistened with tears, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up. Tears slid down her rosy cheeks as she hugged Emperor Yuanwu's neck and playfully pecked him on the cheek.

The lights in Consort Xian's palace were not turned off until late at night.

Although Consort Ruan was alone in the Imperial Garden, Emperor Yuanwu was followed by palace maids, eunuchs, and many other palace servants working in the Imperial Garden.

The matter quickly spread throughout the palace. The next morning, the concubines who went to pay their respects to the Empress early gathered together to discuss the matter.

"Did you hear yesterday? Our Consort Ruan caused a scene in the Imperial Garden by bumping into the Emperor, but he didn't even give her a second glance." Consort Chun said, covering her face with a handkerchief and laughing.

"I heard from people in Jingyang Palace that when the Emperor went to their palace yesterday, Consort Ruan ran out excitedly, thinking the Emperor was going to see her. It turns out the Emperor was going to see Consort Xian, and didn't even glance at her," said Consort Ji.

“That’s right. Who among the old-timers in the harem doesn’t know that Consort Xian is the apple of the Emperor’s eye? All the Emperor’s favor in the entire harem combined doesn’t even come close to Consort Xian’s. When the Emperor was still a prince, Consort Xian was his only favorite. How could a mere concubine like Consort Chun possibly steal such favor?” Consort Chun said resentfully.

"What 'Changzai'? I think it means 'often makes a fool of oneself' here. When I heard about it yesterday, I almost laughed until I cried." An Changzai said while laughing.

As the group was chatting animatedly, Consort Xian walked over from a distance.

"Greetings to Consort Xian, may Consort Xian be blessed."

Just then, Shen Qingwan finished getting ready and summoned them to the main hall of Kunning Palace.

"Greetings to Her Majesty the Empress, may Her Majesty live a thousand years!"

"Get up, all of you." After saying that, Shen Qingwan glanced at the people sitting below, and her gaze finally fell on Consort Xian: "Consort Xian is not fully recovered yet, so there is no rush to come and pay her respects. It is not too late to come when you are fully recovered."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I'm fine now, but my back still aches a bit from standing for so long," Consort Xian said slowly.

"You must take the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician on time. Don't stop taking it just because you feel better. Take it for a while longer to avoid developing any chronic illness."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I will."

Last night, Emperor Yuanwu stayed overnight at Jingyang Palace. It seems that Consort Xian was in a really good mood. She hadn't come to pay her respects for a long time, so her intention to come today couldn't be more obvious, especially with the carefully crafted makeup on her face.

Since she took the initiative to show off, Shen Qingwan had no choice but to give her a few more words as a matter of routine, lest she be accused of being an empress who was ignorant of the bigger picture and jealous.

There are many women in the harem, and they are all gossipy.

It's like everyone sitting in this room is trying their best to squeeze in front of Emperor Yuanwu, but once they actually see someone trying, they make sarcastic and cynical remarks.

Consort Ruan was of low rank, and when she paid her respects every day, she would sit in the very back corner. Even though it was a corner, she was still in a place where she could not be seen. Today, she was not only the last one to arrive, but she was also so low that she wished she could bury her head in her cloak.

When the crowd saw her arrive, they seemed to regain their interest.

“Although Consort Xian was ill, her face doesn’t look like she’s recovering from a serious illness at all. On the contrary, it’s rosy and glowing, and she looks great,” said Consort Dong.

Consort Xian was a little embarrassed by the praise, after all, no woman dislikes being praised.

"Dong Chang's mouth is as sweet as honey. If the Emperor ever meets you, he'll be so flattered he won't be able to stop smiling," Consort Xian said with a smile.

"I don't have the good fortune of Consort Xian. I just feel that it's enough for me to be able to see His Majesty from afar on ordinary days." Consort Dong lowered her eyes sadly.

“Speaking of good fortune, none of the sisters in our palace are as fortunate as Her Majesty the Empress. Whether they are concubines, consorts, noble ladies, or ladies-in-waiting, each of them has several sisters in their respective positions. But there is only one Her Majesty the Empress…”

(End of this chapter)