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

Chapter 87 Night Watch
After returning to Kunning Palace, Shen Qingwan tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

Adhering to the principle of not forcing myself to do anything, I simply didn't sleep because I couldn't sleep. It had just rained, and the weather was cold, with a lot of ice on the ground.

Su Tianhe must have been cold working outside at night, so she simply called all the palace maids and eunuchs who were on night duty outside into the room.

Shen Qingwan's sleeping chamber was in one inner chamber, while the outer chamber was empty. Rather than letting them freeze outside, it was better to keep them inside for the night. If someone really had any designs on her, it was likely that no matter whether they were inside or outside, these few palace maids and eunuchs wouldn't be able to withstand it. Why bother letting them freeze outside all night in the freezing weather?

"Your Highness, this is not in accordance with the rules. We servants should wait outside. If Your Highness needs anything, just call us. Aunt Zhen'er has brought us a thick quilt. We really are not cold at all... Achoo... Besides, such good charcoal should be saved for Your Highness. We servants really don't need it."

Shen Qingwan frowned as she looked at his ears, hands, and face, which were red from the cold, and his legs, which were shivering as he gritted his teeth and said he wasn't cold.

Shen Qingwan was not from this dynasty, so she could not stand by and watch these servants suffer in the cold without feeling any remorse.

Although they were servants, born into a different status from the masters in the palace, they were still born and raised by their parents, and were cherished and raised by them. If they were not forced by life, who would be willing to send their own children, especially eunuchs, into the palace to serve others at such a young age?

“Kunning Palace isn’t so poor that it can’t even afford such a small amount of charcoal. Besides, with such a big room and so much charcoal burning, it’s the same whether one person uses it or everyone uses it together. It won’t be colder just because there are more people.” Shen Qingwan sighed helplessly.

“But Your Highness, if others see this, it might cause you trouble, and I would be guilty of a terrible crime,” Su Tianhe said.

"It's just a matter of a wall. Do you expect me, the Empress, to discipline my servants in my own palace and report to others? If anyone asks, just let them come to me, the Empress. I'm not asking you to slack off by keeping watch in the room. Just stay here and keep watch properly."

"Your Majesty, we thank you." The four of them knelt on the ground in unison, their eyes welling up with tears of gratitude.

After Shen Qingwan finished speaking, she turned around and went back to the palace. She lit a candle and picked up a book to read.

“From now on, not just tonight, but whoever is on night duty, just let them stay inside. If they all get sick from the cold, people will say that everyone in Kunning Palace is sickly.” Shen Qingwan finished speaking and glanced at the four people.

The four people stood inside the house, and although they were no longer freezing, they were on high alert, standing ramrod straight.

Shen Qingwan found it amusing: "Tomorrow morning, I will give each of us who serve in the palace an extra month's salary from my private treasury. Since you can't always be by your parents' side, sending them some money back home and adding some charcoal for the winter is a way to show your filial piety."

"Your Majesty." Su Tianhe and his three servants knelt down, deeply moved, and kowtowed to Shen Qingwan repeatedly: "We will repay Your Majesty's kindness by serving you as an ox or a horse in our next life."

Shen Qingwan looked at him and felt both amused and heartbroken: "Alright, get up, everyone."

Su Tianhe wiped away his tears and glanced at the maids beside him; they were all also teary-eyed.

This night.

The Queen had slept too much during the day and hadn't slept all night.

Consort Xian also spent the night without sleep, just like her.

The Emperor went to Huguo Temple to burn incense and pray to Buddha with the Empress. After returning, he and the Empress went to the Empress Dowager's palace for dinner. If it weren't for the incident in the previous dynasty, the Emperor would probably have gone back to Kunning Palace with the Empress.

The Empress is still young.

These women, who had served Emperor Yuanwu since the time he was in the palace, were all quite old. After the Empress fell seriously ill, no one knew what methods she had used.

Now, not only has the Emperor changed his opinion of her, but he is also visiting Kunning Palace more and more frequently.

Even the Empress Dowager seemed extremely pleased with this Empress, showering her with all sorts of good things.

Can things continue like this?

Will there really be no place for them, the concubines, to stay in the future?
Whenever Consort Xian thought about how much less favor she had received than before, a chill ran down her spine.

The next morning, as soon as Consort Xian got up, she dismissed everyone and summoned Xia Fuchuan to her side: "Can you think of a way to place a reliable person in Kunning Palace?"

Xia Fuchuan looked troubled: "Your Majesty, you don't know, everyone in Kunning Palace is keeping their mouths shut these days. It won't be easy to get this done." What are you trying to do?
Consort Xian's face immediately darkened: "It's just placing someone in Kunning Palace, it's not like we're going to do anything to the Empress. Can't you even handle such a small matter? What use are you to me? If you can't place someone, can't you at least bribe someone?"

waste!
They're all useless!!!

Consort Xian's chest heaved heavily.

Xia Fuchuan shuddered: "This servant will take care of it right away."

Although Shen Qingwan went to bed a little late the night before, fortunately she was exempted from the concubines' greetings the next day, and she slept soundly in bed until lunchtime.

She hadn't slept in like this in a long time.

I really don't understand why the Empress in the harem makes all the concubines get up early every day to pay their respects to her. If the concubines get up early, does that mean she doesn't have to get up early either?

After Zhen'er helped Shen Qingwan wash up, she saw Xiao Cui standing in the courtyard looking flustered and at a loss.

"Xiao Cui, what are you doing?" Zhen'er asked, putting down the basin in her hand and walking over.

Xiao Cui turned pale with fright and immediately knelt on the ground: "Aunt Zhen'er, save me!"

Zhen'er took a step back: "What are you doing so early in the morning?"

“Aunt Zhen’er, this morning, when I went to the Imperial Household Department to get the money for the calendar, I ran into Eunuch Xia from Yonghe Palace halfway there. He pulled me aside and slipped me a bag of silver when no one was around. I don’t know what to do now.”

"Eunuch Xia?" Zhen'er frowned. "Are you referring to Xia Fuchuan, the head eunuch in Consort Xian's palace?"

“That’s right.” Xiao Cui knelt on the ground, not daring to raise her head.

Zhen'er pondered for a moment: "Eunuch Xia is the head eunuch of Yonghe Palace. Why would he give you money for no reason?"

"Aunt Zhen'er, you may not know this, but before I came to serve in Kunning Palace, I was a palace maid in the laundry department. Once, when I was changing clothes, I accidentally knocked off a button from Consort Xian's dress. When the dress was delivered, the button was already unstitched, and I didn't notice it. I only accidentally tore it off while washing. When the head maid found out, she wanted to punish me according to the palace rules, but Eunuch Xia happened to be passing by and said a few good words for me, so I was spared punishment..."

(End of this chapter)