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

Chapter 84 One Person Here

The royal family has its own dignity. Sometimes, bringing so many people isn't necessarily because they need so many servants, but rather because they want the royal grandeur.

When Emperor Yuanwu saw the purple pearl on Shen Qingwan's head, his eyes lit up.

He remembered that during the last imperial concubine selection, the empress only wore a purple jade hairpin in her hair.

She had been given a lot of jewelry before, but it was rare to see the Empress wearing the whole set.

"The Empress really likes purple hair ornaments?" Emperor Yuanwu asked in confusion. After all, as an emperor, he believed that there was nothing he couldn't know.

"Why does Your Majesty ask such a question?" Shen Qingwan asked, puzzled.

"I thought you looked good in that purple pearl headdress, so I was just asking casually," Emperor Yuanwu said indifferently.

"I wouldn't say I like it or dislike it, I just find the purple pearls novel," Shen Qingwan said.

Emperor Yuanwu:...

"That's all? Isn't there anything else?"

Shen Qingwan was puzzled. What was wrong with Emperor Yuanwu today? Why was he staring at the decorations on her head and asking her endless questions?

Could it be because she gave it to me as a gift?
He usually gives away quite a few things, but I've never seen him ask about them.

"What else should there be?" Shen Qingwan asked in return.

Emperor Yuanwu looked at her blank expression and pursed his lips deeply: "Get in the carriage."

Shen Qingwan: ...

It was he who asked her to burn incense with him.

He was the one who always left reluctantly.

An emperor's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea.

Shen Qingwan was too lazy to argue with him any further, lest he ask her some strange questions later, so she simply got into the car.

Shen Qingwan's carriage was separate from Emperor Yuanwu's.

Emperor Yuanwu's carriage was in front, and Shen Qingwan's carriage was behind. One had a dragon head, and the other had a phoenix crown. The two carriages looked very similar, but the details were completely different.

Since the carriage was so big, there was still plenty of room for her to sit inside by herself, so she simply called Zhen'er in as well.

The horse is running ahead; whether it pulls one person or two, it's still the same.

Why make Zhen'er ride in the car in the freezing cold?

The carriage ran smoothly, and it was a time when everyone was tired after lunch.

After a few bumps and jolts, Shen Qingwan fell asleep. When she woke up, the carriage had already come to a steady stop in front of Huguo Temple. Emperor Yuanwu was standing outside the carriage, lifting the curtain.

Shen Qingwan wiped the drool from the corner of her lips, rubbed her eyes, and glanced at Emperor Yuanwu: "You've arrived so quickly."

Emperor Yuanwu:...

"It seems the Empress hasn't had enough sleep yet?" Emperor Yuanwu's expression was somewhat indescribable, not so much out of disgust or annoyance, but more like helplessness.

"The bumpy ride made me even sleepier than being in bed." Shen Qingwan climbed down from the carriage. "Didn't His Majesty get sleepy at all after sitting in the carriage for so long?"

Shen Qingwan didn't know what she had said that was funny, but it made Emperor Yuanwu laugh out loud: "Sleepy as she is, only Empress Yuan can ride in a carriage and drool in her sleep."

"If the Emperor drools in his sleep, your favored concubines will secretly wipe it clean for you. How could they possibly let you know?" Shen Qingwan said sullenly.

Emperor Yuanwu: ? ? ? "I know you're probably thinking right now, how can an emperor drool in his sleep? But everyone drools when they sleep, especially when they're in a bad sleeping position. People are divided into high and low classes, and drool doesn't exist."

Emperor Yuanwu:...

"Master Wuchen is already waiting outside. Empress, please prepare your disguise and come with me." Emperor Yuanwu was speechless for a moment, so he simply changed the subject.

Shen Qingwan quickly tidied herself up and followed behind Emperor Yuanwu.

This time, she came to burn incense and worship Buddha with Emperor Yuanwu. She only needed to follow quietly, unlike the last time she went to the Sansheng Temple, where she had to exchange pleasantries with the abbot.

Emperor Yuanwu spoke with Master Wuchen about Buddhist teachings and meditation, but Shen Qingwan didn't quite understand what he was saying.

She found it hard to believe that an emperor had read so many books about Buddhism.

It seems that what she said to Emperor Yuanwu before was like showing off her skills in front of Guan Yu, or trying to teach a fish to swim!

She suddenly realized that Emperor Yuanwu was quite good at pretending.

After circling around Huguo Temple, we were exhausted from the journey, and the incense offered by the temple would not be served until the next morning.

Master Wuchen arranged a vegetarian meal.

After finishing the vegetarian meal.

Shen Qingwan suddenly realized that one of her earrings was missing.

"What's wrong? What are you looking for?" Emperor Yuanwu walked over and asked.

"One earlobe is missing. Your Majesty, please go back and rest. I will take the palace servants out to look for it." Shen Qingwan said as she bent down and began to search.

As she finished speaking, Emperor Yuanwu looked up at her and indeed saw that the earring on his left ear was missing.

"It's so late, and it's already dark, so let's not look for it anymore. If the Empress likes it, I'll have someone make an exact replica after we return to the palace," Emperor Yuanwu said.

“It’s not a matter of liking or disliking.” Shen Qingwan straightened up. “It’s just that this isn’t the palace. Such personal items as earrings might be picked up by someone and cause trouble in the future. Has His Majesty already forgotten about Consort Xian’s mandarin duck undergarment?”

Emperor Yuanwu remained silent. As an emperor, although he would not accompany her to search, he did not stop her and allowed Wu Jixiang to go with his guards to search.

"Your Majesty, if we really can't find it, could it really be like you said, that someone is using the earring to frame you?" Zhen'er was so frightened that her face turned pale.

Back then, Consort Xian's mandarin duck-patterned bodice was kept close to her body by a guard. At that time, she, the Empress, was ill, the Empress Dowager was also ill, and Emperor Yuanwu was not in the palace.

If she were truly punished according to palace rules, Consort Xian would probably be long gone.

"I don't know how serious it is, but since we've already searched for it, and the Emperor has also sent people to search for it in a big way, if someone really wants to use this earring for something in the future, they'll have to think twice before it implicates them," Shen Qingwan said calmly.

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhen'er lowered her head and searched even more enthusiastically.

As they searched, they got separated from the crowd, and a light drizzle began to fall from the misty sky.

"Your Highness, our carriage is just ahead. It's raining, so please wait under this tree. I remember there was an umbrella in the carriage when we came. I'll go get it now." Zhen'er said, shielding her head with one hand as she ran out.

Although the rain wasn't heavy, it was quite dense, leaving a layer of moisture on her face. Shen Qingwan pulled out a silk handkerchief to wipe the rain off her face. She wanted to step back, but suddenly it seemed as if she had stepped onto someone.

Shen Qingwan turned around and was so frightened that she took several steps back.

His brows were cool and aloof, his features were distinct, his face was like the moon on Mid-Autumn Festival, his complexion was like the flowers at dawn in spring, his sideburns were as if cut by a knife, and his eyebrows were like ink paintings.

His appearance is somewhat similar to that of Emperor Yuanwu. Could he be Prince Rui?

"Why is the Empress Dowager here alone?"

(End of this chapter)