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

Chapter 94 Repayment
In Jingyang Palace, Emperor Yuanwu was having lunch with Consort Xian.

"This servant greets Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor! May Consort Xian be blessed."

When Emperor Yuanwu saw her arrive at this moment, his hand holding chopsticks paused: "Zhen'er? Why have you come at this hour?"

"Your Majesty, this servant is here on the orders of Her Majesty the Empress to deliver osmanthus tea to Consort Xian."

After Zhen'er finished speaking, she presented a packet of osmanthus tea to Emperor Yuanwu.

Emperor Yuanwu opened the paper package containing the osmanthus tea and glanced at it: "The osmanthus tea in the Empress's palace is indeed excellent, and the osmanthus flowers are also top-notch. It is truly rare that she would be willing to share it with her subordinates."

Consort Xian listened to Emperor Yuanwu's words, her expression somewhat indescribable. Not daring to refute him, she could only brace herself and say, "Your Majesty is absolutely right."

Zhen'er curtsied and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Xian, this servant still needs to deliver osmanthus tea to Consort Ruan and Consort Lan, so I will take my leave now."

Emperor Yuanwu nodded.

Just as Zhen'er stepped outside, she called her back.

"Go back and tell the Empress that I will have dinner at Kunning Palace tonight."

We went to Kunning Palace for dinner.

That means the Emperor won't be choosing a concubine tonight.

According to Emperor Yuanwu's custom, he would stay overnight in the palace where he spent the night.

Why send a cup of osmanthus tea to each of the concubines in the palace?

So that's what the Empress was thinking.

Watching Zhen'er's departing figure, Consort Xian's hand holding chopsticks turned white at the knuckles.

Emperor Yuanwu still had memorials to review in the afternoon. After lunch and a short rest, he returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

He had just stepped out of the gates of Jingyang Palace.

Consort Xian summoned all the servants in the palace.

"How did you all do your jobs? Who gave you permission to let Zhen'er in while the Emperor was here? Weren't you all sincerely serving me?" Consort Xian shouted, pointing at the servants kneeling on the ground.

"Your Highness, please calm down. How could we possibly want to cause trouble for you? Aunt Zhen'er is someone close to the Empress, and she came to deliver things on the Empress's orders. How could we dare to stop her?" Xia Fuchuan knelt at the front, feeling aggrieved.

Consort Xian stared at him intently, her chest heaving.

With a wave of her hand, she smashed all the plates on the table that had just been eaten and hadn't been cleared away.

"This servant deserves to die, Your Majesty, please forgive me."

The commotion here was so great that Lan Changzai and Ruan Changzai, who were in the side hall, came out of the palace together and looked towards Xianfei's direction.

"What's wrong with Consort Xian? Wasn't the Emperor just having his meal here? Did you upset him?" Consort Ruan asked in surprise.

Lan Changzai shook her head without saying a word and returned to her palace. Her gaze fell on the packet of tea that the Empress had sent.

After sleeping all morning and having lunch, Shen Qingwan was still full of energy.

Although it was cold, the sun was shining brightly.

A servant from the palace moved a reclining chair into the courtyard of Kunning Palace, and Shen Qingwan lay down on it.

The Imperial Household Department sent over a large quantity of freshly presented persimmons and tangerines, as these items cannot be kept for too long.

She simply distributed some of the oranges to her subordinates.

As for the persimmons, she wanted to try freezing some. She arranged the persimmons in a shady spot in the yard.

Consort Rou entered.

"This humble servant greets Your Majesty, wishing you good fortune."

Shen Qingwan was taken aback, seemingly surprised that she would come over. She took two steps toward her and helped her up from the ground: "Now that you are pregnant, there's no need for such formalities. Why did you dare to come over at this hour?"

With the help of her maid, Consort Rou sat down and said, "I came here specifically to express my gratitude. I heard that when Her Majesty the Empress paid her respects this morning, she rewarded the concubines with osmanthus tea. I did not expect that I would receive it even though I did not pay my respects. If I did not come here in person to express my gratitude, it would seem that I do not know the proper etiquette."

Hearing her words, Shen Qingwan smiled in relief: "I thought it was something serious, but it's just some osmanthus flowers. Consort Rou doesn't need to worry about it."

"It's getting colder and colder today, and these osmanthus flowers are truly a rare treat. Most importantly, Your Majesty the Empress cares for me, which makes me feel that this winter isn't so cold after all," said Consort Rou.

Hearing her words, Shen Qingwan raised an eyebrow and smiled: "What Consort Rou said makes me a little embarrassed."

"I always remember Your Majesty's kindness to me. If it weren't for Your Majesty's care, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to live so peacefully in this deep palace. When I give birth to the imperial heir, I will definitely repay Your Majesty's kindness," said Consort Rou.

"These are all minor matters, Consort Rou really doesn't need to worry about them. If you really want to repay me, then please have more children for His Majesty and give him more princes and princesses."

Hearing Shen Qingwan's words, Consort Rou lowered her eyes somewhat embarrassed: "Your Majesty, I heard that His Majesty will be having dinner at Kunning Palace later. Your Majesty, please make your preparations. I will return now if there is nothing else."

Shen Qingwan arranged for a sedan chair. Although Zhongcui Palace was not far from Kunning Palace, Consort Rou was now pregnant and would definitely be careful in everything she did. It was too cold, and the ground would inevitably freeze. It would be more reassuring to ride back in the sedan chair.

While they were waiting for the carriage, it didn't arrive; instead, Emperor Yuanwu arrived first.

When Consort Rou saw Emperor Yuanwu, she was clearly taken aback and hurriedly got up from the stool to bow.

"Your Majesty, I wish you good fortune."

Emperor Yuanwu glanced at Consort Rou: "Consort Rou is here too."

"Her Majesty the Empress bestowed upon me osmanthus tea, and I have come to express my gratitude," Consort Rou explained.

"Get up. You're pregnant, don't keep kneeling."

Emperor Yuanwu sat down next to Shen Qingwan and asked, "What food have you prepared?"

"A pot," Shen Qingwan said calmly.

Emperor Yuanwu:...

To this day, he still vividly remembers the time when Shen Qingwan's chili sauce made his lips swell up from the spiciness.

Emperor Yuanwu's expression became somewhat indescribable.

Shen Qingwan didn't think there was anything wrong with it. She liked hot pot and just happened to want to eat it. Regardless of whether Emperor Yuanwu came or not, she was going to eat hot pot anyway. If he didn't want to eat it, she could just have the imperial kitchen prepare something else. The people in the imperial kitchen were good at flattering, and they couldn't let him treat them badly just because he was coming to have dinner.

However, seeing Emperor Yuanwu's expression, Consort Rou became somewhat uneasy.

That servant who's carrying the saddlebags is really something, why hasn't he brought them over yet?

She felt uneasy sitting there, unsure whether to leave or stay.

Waited for a while.

Su Tianhe came in and reported that a part of the sedan chair used by the concubines was loose, and the servants were fixing it. It might take a while. Meanwhile, the imperial kitchen had already delivered the pot that Shen Qingwan had requested.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, I will not disturb your meal any longer. I will take my leave now."

(End of this chapter)