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

Chapter 10 Prince Rui Arrives
Prince Rui?
Prince Rui, who was engaged to the original owner of this body?
Didn't they say he was always traveling around, making his home wherever he went, and rarely stayed in the capital?
After the late emperor fell critically ill, the princes went through a struggle for the throne that occurs in every dynasty, except for Prince Rui, who was seriously ill and did not participate.

The three remaining princes are Prince Rui, Prince Yao, and Prince Xiang.

Prince Xiang was the eldest son of the late emperor and was quite old.

Prince Yao was about the same age as Emperor Yuanwu. In addition to his wife, he had two concubines in his household. After the selection of imperial concubines, the emperor bestowed two more concubines upon him.

Only Prince Rui remains unmarried to this day.

"The Emperor has arrived."

Upon hearing the eunuch's announcement, Shen Qingwan quickened her pace and entered, following Emperor Yuanwu into the main hall.

When everyone saw the Emperor and Empress arrive, they all stood up and bowed.

Some curious people even started whispering among themselves.
"Isn't it said that the Empress is out of favor and not well received by the Emperor? How come the two of them came together, and are even wearing the same gorgeous clothes?"

"Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Only the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress can wear these yellow robes. Wearing the same robes makes nothing special."

"It has always been said that Consort Xian is incredibly elegant and the most favored concubine in the palace. But she doesn't look like that at all. She is dressed so plainly, which is not the way a favored concubine should dress."

"I thought Consort Xian would be elegant and adorned with jewels, but looking at her now, if I hadn't seen her before, I almost wouldn't have recognized her in the crowd."

"There have always been rumors that the Empress is not favored by the Emperor, and people thought she was not good-looking. But now that I see her, she is truly beautiful."

"Her Majesty the Empress's hairstyle is so beautiful, especially with her phoenix crown, she looks like a fairy descended from heaven."

"Rumors may be rumors, but no matter how unfavored the Empress is, she is still the Emperor's legal wife. The children born to the Empress are legitimate sons, which are incomparable to those of a concubine. No matter how favored a concubine is, she is still just a concubine."

"..."

Consort Xian listened to the discussion and almost ground her back teeth to powder.

What's going on with the Empress lately?

During the last talent show, she dressed so simply, without even wearing many hair accessories, making her stand out from the crowd with her gold jewelry and head full of kingfisher feathers.

Today, I wanted to follow her style, but she dressed simply. Yet, she dressed up for the occasion again, and even styled her hair in such a unique updo.

Was the Empress deliberately trying to embarrass her and make things difficult for her?
"Your Majesty, I heard from the palace maids of Zhongcui Palace that the Empress's hairstyle was done by Consort Rou. This morning, Consort Rou had breakfast with the Empress in Kunning Palace."

Consort Rou?
Consort Xian's gaze darkened as she glanced in the direction of Noble Lady Rou, and she let out a cold laugh.

The Empress really knows how to please the Emperor.

Knowing that Consort Rou was favored by the Emperor, he first granted her a separate residence and then tried to win her over.

Could it be that she wants to get a share of the spoils from Consort Rou when she enjoys her favor in the future?

This Consort Rou is no pushover either.

At the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, everyone's seating was arranged in advance.

The Emperor is in the central position, the Empress Dowager is on the left, and the Empress is on the right.

The positions of the people below are also arranged according to rank.

Those seated on the left were the concubines of the imperial harem, while those seated on the right were members of the imperial clan and their relatives.

The dishes at the palace banquet were the same for everyone. Now was the time when crabs were full of roe and fat, and the imperial kitchen still placed a crab on everyone's table.

Emperor Yuanwu disliked eating crabs and didn't like the taste of them, so the one on his table was naturally placed in the farthest position from him.

Although Shen Qingwan could maintain an elegant and dignified sitting posture, she never stopped using her chopsticks.

Emperor Yuanwu glanced at her, recalling the last time he visited Kunning Palace, she had dinner alone in the palace, and it seemed she had also eaten crab.

He then got up and placed the crab from his table in front of Shen Qingwan.

It wasn't originally a big deal, since all the concubines in the harem knew that Emperor Yuanwu didn't like eating crabs.

Unfortunately, this scene was witnessed by Prince Yao, who was sitting below.

The fact that Prince Yao had so many concubines shows that he was a womanizer.

With many women in the household, competition for favor was inevitable. A simple crab, however, became a source of immense favor in Prince Yao's eyes.

"My brother and the empress are so inseparable, they are like a perfect couple. It seems the head chef of the imperial kitchen needs a beating. He didn't even know that the empress likes to eat crabs, and he even asked my brother to share his with the empress."

Shen Qingwan: ...

The original owner was wary of Emperor Yuanwu's dislike of eating crabs, so he never served crabs.

She had only eaten there once or twice in the palace.

Furthermore, the dishes served at this palace banquet had to cater to the tastes of most people.

Emperor Yuanwu's meals were the same as everyone else's, so why would the imperial kitchen give special treatment to her, the empress?

His words drew everyone's attention to the Emperor and Empress.

Shen Qingwan paused in her eating.

It goes without saying how interesting the expressions on the faces of the concubines sitting below the throne must have been.

Wasn't Prince Yao just making her the target of hatred?
"The deep affection between the Empress and the Emperor is a blessing for our Yuan Kingdom, and also a blessing for my family."

No wonder she was the champion of the previous palace intrigue competition.

Shen Qingwan silently gave the Empress Dowager a thumbs up in her heart; a single sentence had turned the tide.

I thought that was the end of it.

Unexpectedly, Prince Yao spoke up again.

"Your Majesty and the Empress should have a legitimate son as soon as possible. It would be a great blessing for the Yuan Kingdom if there were a successor to carry on the throne."

Shen Qingwan's smile froze.

At this moment, Consort Xian's smile was even more frozen than hers.

What did Prince Yao mean by that?
Are only princes born to the Empress worthy of the position of Crown Prince?

Then what about her third prince?
Just how much did Shen Qingwan give Prince Yao to keep speaking up for her?

But so what?
Everyone in the harem knows that the Empress and Emperor Yuanwu have never consummated their marriage.

Emperor Yuanwu glanced at Shen Qingwan and said, "The Empress is still young, there's no rush."

Consort Xian: ? ? ?
What did Emperor Yuanwu mean by those words?
Shen Qingwan: ? ? ?

Are you sure it's just because she's young and not really that dramatic?

However, the original owner of this body was indeed a bit younger than Emperor Yuanwu.

When they got married, the original owner was only 16 years old, and now she is only 19.

Emperor Yuanwu was 11 years older than the original owner of the body.

When the original owner's father initially wanted to marry her off to Prince Rui, it was mainly because the two were of similar age.

Prince Rui was only 3 years older than the original owner of the body.

A commotion arose outside the hall.

"Prince Rui has arrived."

Prince Rui walked in hurriedly from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty, I am late. Please forgive me."

The word "Royal Brother" drew everyone's attention.

No one stared at Shen Qingwan anymore.

Shen Qingwan breathed a sigh of relief. She had originally thought that at the Mid-Autumn Festival palace banquet, she only needed to quietly be a decoration, eat and drink well.

(End of this chapter)