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

Chapter 111 Self-defeating
"This servant only heard that at the beginning, Consort Shu, Consort Liang, and Consort Zhen were all there. After eating for a while, they took their sons and brothers and returned to their respective palaces. In the end, only the Empress and the Emperor remained. For some reason, the Emperor ordered Wu Jixiang to go to the storeroom to fetch the Songhua stone inkstone. Everyone in Kunning Palace is very tight-lipped. Besides, the palace maids who can serve the Emperor closely in Kunning Palace are all the Empress's confidantes. This servant is incompetent and really couldn't find out anything. Please forgive me, Your Highness." Xia Fuchuan said, kneeling on one knee to beg for forgiveness.

Consort Xian frowned and slammed her hand on the table: "Forgive me, forgive me! If this continues, the First Prince will soon be the Crown Prince, what will happen to my Third Prince? What's the use of just forgiving me? What about Xiao Cui, whom I asked you to plant in Kunning Palace? Haven't you heard a single word about her? A bunch of useless things!"

Xia Fuchuan stiffened and knelt on the ground: "I will ask after dark."

On Consort Xian's face, there was no trace of the joy she had felt after being granted the title of Consort. She waved her hand somewhat irritably and said, "Go down."

The next morning, Shen Qingwan got up early.

"Your Majesty, have you got the date wrong? Today is only the second day of the month. The ladies of the palaces will not come to pay their respects to you until tomorrow. It's still early, Your Majesty. Would you like to sleep a little longer?" Zhen'er asked in surprise.

"No need." Although Shen Qingwan had woken up on her own, she still felt a little dazed because it was so early. "I haven't misremembered the date. I got up now because I'm going to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager."

Empress Dowager?

The second day of the Lunar New Year is also a big day of the year, as it is the day when princesses return to their parents' home.

The Empress Dowager had no daughters, only one son, Emperor Yuanwu.

Shen Qingwan thought that since she was a daughter-in-law, she was also considered half a daughter. Being in the harem, there were some things she still had to do to maintain appearances.

"Your daughter-in-law greets Your Majesty, may Your Majesty be blessed."

When Shen Qingwan arrived at Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager had just gotten up and hadn't had time to wash up yet. She took the mouthwash from Zhang Mama's hand and handed it to the Empress Dowager, saying, "Your daughter-in-law will help Mother with her washing up."

The Empress Dowager was taken aback and it took her a while to recover.

They probably feel like they're dreaming.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the Empress rushed to Cining Palace early in the morning, just to help her get up.

The Empress Dowager stared at Shen Qingwan as if she had been struck by a magic acupoint.

"Mother." Shen Qingwan brought the mouthwash to the Empress Dowager's lips and called out softly as she watched her not lower her head for a long time.

The Empress Dowager then suddenly came to her senses and hurriedly lowered her head to rinse her mouth with water.

Shen Qingwan turned slightly to the side, and a maid from Cining Palace knelt on the ground, holding a porcelain basin high above her head.

"The Emperor has arrived!"

The voice of a eunuch announcing the news came from the palace gate.

The Empress Dowager spat out the mouthwash in her mouth: "What's going on so early this morning? What wind blew the Emperor and Empress here?"

Shen Qingwan smiled and said, "I thought that the second day of the lunar new year is the day to go back to my parents' home. Although I am not the Empress Dowager's daughter, a daughter-in-law is considered half a daughter, so I thought I would come early in the morning to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. As for the Emperor..."

"Your Majesty, this time I think the same way as the Empress. Although Your Majesty has no daughters, you have your son, so I came here early this morning as well," Emperor Yuanwu said as he walked.

As he walked to Shen Qingwan's side, his gaze inadvertently fell on the cup of mouthwash she was holding, and his eyebrows twitched slightly, almost imperceptibly. Shen Qingwan handed the cup to Zhang Mama, who was standing beside her.

The Empress Dowager took her hand and sat down beside her: "The Empress is becoming more and more virtuous. I heard that you called the children to the palace yesterday and cooked for them. The Empress is very thoughtful. Go and bring me my kingfisher feather hairpin. I want to give it to the Empress."

Shen Qingwan's eyes widened in panic: "Mother, I did this without any other intention. I was just feeling bored being alone in the palace during the New Year. It just so happened that some of the children came to pay their respects, and on a whim, I prepared some candy skewers for them, the kind I used to eat as a child. It's the New Year, and I just wanted to make the children happy. Mother, you don't need to reward me. Besides, as the Empress, it's my duty to treat the harem well."

It's my job?

When Emperor Yuanwu, who was standing to the side, heard these words, his eyes flickered.

He slowly turned his head and glanced at Shen Qingwan. For some reason, he had a very strange feeling in his heart at this moment.

After the Empress Dowager finished washing up, the three of them sat down at the food tray and had breakfast together.

"The imperial decree conferring the title of Noble Consort Xian arrived at Jingyang Palace yesterday at noon. Yet, the Noble Consort has not come to Cining Palace to express her gratitude. The Emperor has spoiled Noble Consort Xian so much that she has lost even the most basic manners." The Empress Dowager's tone was calm, but her words were filled with dissatisfaction with Noble Consort Xian.

Emperor Yuanwu paused, the fingertips holding the spoon in his hand.

"Mother, please calm down. Perhaps Consort Xian thinks yesterday was the first day of the month and will come to thank you for your kindness later," Shen Qingwan comforted her.

"I don't care whether she thanks me or not. If she knew what she was doing, she would understand that she was granted the title of Imperial Concubine because of her father's service to the court, not because of her virtue." The Empress Dowager frowned in displeasure.

Shen Qingwan raised her eyes and glanced at the Empress Dowager.

I just thought the Empress Dowager was really dissatisfied with Consort Xian, which is why she said those things.

But at this moment, she found herself truly unable to see through it all.

She felt that the Empress Dowager's words were not complaints, but rather deliberately said to her.

Is she afraid that as the Empress, she won't be able to tolerate the Imperial Concubine in the future?

That's why she repeatedly emphasized that her title of Imperial Concubine was bestowed upon her because of her maternal family, not because of her personal favor.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I understand the situation. Although I have been granted the title of Noble Consort, the affairs of the inner palace will still be managed by the Empress, with Consort Shu and Consort De assisting in the management."

Hearing Emperor Yuanwu's words, the Empress Dowager's expression finally softened a bit: "The Emperor knows what he's doing, so I naturally have nothing more to say. However, the eldest prince is not young anymore, and it's not good to leave him in the prince's quarters forever. It would be better to find him a gentle and virtuous foster mother in the harem."

"Hmm." Emperor Yuanwu glanced at Shen Qingwan sideways: "What does the Empress think of this matter?"

“The eldest prince is now over seven years old. Unlike the third prince, who was just an infant when he was taken to Yonghe Palace and had no memory of his own, he naturally became close to whoever raised him. But the eldest prince is different. Children his age have their own ideas. He has lived alone in the princes' quarters since he was a child, and he must have gotten used to it over the years. If we suddenly send him to live with a concubine in the palace, I'm afraid it will backfire,” Shen Qingwan said worriedly.

"What the Empress says is very true. It was my oversight. It's better not to mention this matter again."

(End of this chapter)