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

Chapter 106 Apology
After Shen Qingwan finished speaking, she turned and glanced at Emperor Yuanwu.

"And then?" Emperor Yuanwu stared at him thoughtfully.

“If Moganbu stays in the capital, the northern desert will be in chaos. A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. The northern desert will definitely elect a new monarch. So, apart from Moganbu’s sons, the most likely successor is his younger brother Moganxie. Whichever of these two inherits the new throne of the northern desert will be beneficial to the emperor.”

Emperor Yuanwu sighed, feeling that the Empress's idea was also foolish and that this method would not work.

"If Moganbu's son inherits the throne, he might consider the bond between father and son and not cause turmoil in the northern desert region. But if his younger brother Moganxie inherits the throne, that's not necessarily the case. The situation could be even worse than it is now."

Shen Qingwan caught a glimpse of disappointment in Emperor Yuanwu's eyes, but she didn't care and smiled gently: "It's not that simple for Moganxie to inherit the throne of Mobei. Mobei, like us, is also a hereditary system. Although Moganbu is not dead, even if a new king is to be established, he should be chosen from among Moganbu's sons who are capable of being emperors. Moganxie wants to seize power and usurp the throne, but I'm afraid the ministers in the Mobei court will not agree to it. Once they are in turmoil, wouldn't Your Majesty be able to reap the benefits?"
The reason why Mo Ganxie has no scruples about us is because he has nothing to fear that we hold. If Your Majesty could lend him a hand now and help him ascend the throne, things might be different.

He'd been suppressed by Moganbu for so many years; I don't believe a man's fighting spirit would remain unmoved by the readily available throne. At that point, wouldn't we be able to set the terms of the trade?

As Emperor Yuanwu listened to Shen Qingwan's words, his gaze gradually darkened. When he looked at her again, his eyes became somewhat complicated, like the unfathomable starry sky at night.

"In the Empress's opinion, what exchange terms would be the best?" Emperor Yuanwu asked calmly.

"Parents who love their children will surely plan far ahead for them. Let Moganxie's most beloved son come to our dynasty as a hostage. If the throne is not legitimate and wants to be passed down through generations, it must make some contributions to the northern deserts in order to gain the support of the people in the future. When two countries are at war, the hostage should be killed first. With his son in our hands, will Your Majesty still worry that he will be unruly?"

Emperor Yuanwu appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was in turmoil. He turned his head in shock and looked at Shen Qingwan.

He once thought she had simply changed, becoming less arrogant and domineering, and no longer willful and capricious.

At this moment.

When she uttered the words "when two countries go to war, the hostage must be killed first," he even sensed in her aura of decisiveness and ruthlessness, the kind of aura only an emperor possesses.

"It seems His Majesty still has official business to attend to tonight, so I will return to the palace to rest first."

After finishing her speech, Shen Qingwan bowed and quickly disappeared into the night.

Emperor Yuanwu stood there for a while before he came to his senses: "Where is the Empress?"

Wu Jixiang looked embarrassed: "Didn't Her Majesty the Empress just say that she had returned to the palace?"

"They've returned to the palace?" Emperor Yuanwu asked in surprise.

Wu Jixiang: ...

Emperor Yuanwu was now basically certain that the Empress hadn't changed in one way: she still ran as fast as ever.

"Your Majesty, shall we return to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, or go to one of the concubines' palaces to rest?" Wu Jixiang asked cautiously.

Emperor Yuanwu thought about it and realized that the most important thing right now was the war in the northern desert. He had just talked with Shen Qingwan and had almost made up his mind.

"Then tonight..."

Emperor Yuanwu paused, thinking of the two concubines Shen Qingwan had mentioned before who had just entered the palace. Emperor Yuanwu still couldn't remember their names, so he simply said, "Let's go to Consort Rong's place."

"Yes, Your Majesty, proceed to Chuxiu Palace."

The following day, Emperor Yuanwu met with Moganbu in person, but Shen Qingwan was unaware of what they discussed.

However, in the evening, Emperor Yuanwu issued an edict ordering the reconstruction of the princess's residence.

I reckon Moganbu won't die this time.

It wasn't until the day before Lunar New Year's Eve.

News came from the previous dynasty that the Grand General was returning to the capital with his stationed troops.

When Consort Xian learned of this news, she didn't sleep a wink all night.

"Have you found out? Has Father returned?" Seeing Xia Fuchuan walking in from outside the palace, Consort Xian got up to greet him, her eyes full of anticipation.

"Your Majesty," Xia Fuchuan replied, his expression somewhat complicated.

"What's wrong? What did the Emperor say? Did he reward Father with something or bestow any title?" Consort Xian paused. "What's with that expression? What happened? Father wouldn't have..."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the General has returned safely and is resting at home. However..." Xia Fuchuan paused, glancing at Consort Xian, "The Emperor has not bestowed any reward upon him. It is said that the Emperor issued a secret decree ordering the General to withdraw his troops overnight and not continue the fight."

"What?" Consort Xian was stunned, and slumped back onto the stool. "Why is this happening? The Northern Desert has always been the Emperor's biggest worry. Now is the best time to pacify it. How could the Emperor let Father come back? Aren't we going to... fight it?"

"Your Majesty, the empress dowagers should not interfere in politics. You shouldn't think so much about it. Perhaps the Emperor has other plans," Xia Fuchuan comforted her.

"No, there must be something else going on. It can't be that simple. The Princess is living comfortably in Xing Shuang Pavilion. Why would she suddenly rebuild the Princess's residence? Jiang Wanying is still so young. Even if it's repaired, she can't possibly move there. No, something's not right." Consort Xian shook her head blankly.

"However, there is something I heard. I heard that Moganbu has also come to the capital. I don't know if it's true or not," Xia Fuchuan whispered cautiously in Consort Xian's ear.

Consort Xian frowned deeply.

Since this happened...
Emperor Yuanwu had always been determined to conquer the northern deserts, so what caused him to change his mind?

The morning of New Year's Eve.

Shen Qingwan got up very early and received the kneeling obeisance from the concubines of the palace.

She also had to go to Cining Palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager.

Relatives of the imperial clan also came to the palace to pay their respects. Although she was the empress and only needed to sit quietly, Shen Qingwan was exhausted by the end of the day and was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open.

After talking all day, she really didn't want to say a word when it was time for dinner. But then, she bumped into Prince Yao at the entrance of the Hall of Preserving Harmony.

The thought that Prince Yao was such a chatterbox, capable of talking from the start to the end of every palace banquet, gave Shen Qingwan a real headache.

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress," Prince Yao said, quickly walking up to her.

Shen Qingwan returned the greeting: "Why did Your Highness come alone today?"

"Speaking of this matter, I was just about to apologize to Her Majesty the Empress. My wife was feeling unwell today and was unable to come and pay her respects to Her Majesty the Empress. Once she has recovered, I will definitely have her personally go to Kunning Palace to apologize to Her Majesty the Empress."

"Your Highness is too kind. Paying respects is a small matter. The Princess Consort is currently pregnant. If she takes good care of herself, she can give birth to a legitimate son for Your Highness as soon as possible."

(End of this chapter)