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

Chapter 112 Second Year of Junior High School
Shen Qingwan only said half of what she was saying. If the Empress Dowager or the Emperor were to announce in the harem that they wanted to find a foster mother for the eldest prince, what would happen?

I wonder how much of a commotion this will cause in the harem.

Especially yesterday, Emperor Yuanwu bestowed his treasured Songhua stone inkstone upon the eldest prince.

This means that everyone in the harem has been informed.

Jiang Wenlan is no longer the same person he once was; he will never again be the eldest prince whom Emperor Yuanwu disliked.

Since Emperor Yuanwu no longer disliked him, it meant that he would be one of the heirs Emperor Yuanwu would consider for the future throne.

Those concubines in the harem who had no imperial heirs would do everything in their power to vie for the position of the eldest prince.

The Empress Dowager dropped the matter, but Shen Qingwan's worries hadn't subsided when she heard the Empress Dowager speak again: "In the end, it's still because there are too few children in the harem. Since you're not going to find a birth mother for the eldest prince, then the Emperor and Empress should have a legitimate son as soon as possible. Once there is a legitimate son, the concubines in the harem, whether they have children or not, will naturally give up some of their desires."

Shen Qingwan: ...

"Yesterday was the first day of the month, and the Emperor stayed overnight at Cining Palace out of filial piety. So let him rest at Kunning Palace tonight." The Empress Dowager said with a serious expression, not giving Emperor Yuanwu and Shen Qingwan any chance to refuse.

The Empress Dowager really never stops doing things for her own good!

Shen Qingwan was also at her wits' end. She vowed that once she became Empress Dowager, she would never interfere with the births of children in the harem.

Children and grandchildren have their own blessings; if she has no children or grandchildren, she will enjoy her blessings.

However, there's really no need for that. There are so many women in the harem waiting for Emperor Yuanwu's favor; he doesn't need another one.

Shen Qingwan was annoyed, so she quickened her pace with her chopsticks and shoveled two mouthfuls of food into her bowl.

Seeing how much she enjoyed the soup, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but sigh, "Zhang Mama, please give me another half bowl of this soup."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhang Mama picked up the bowl in front of the Empress Dowager, and while ladling soup, she said, "Your Majesty is in a good mood today because the Emperor and the Empress are dining here? You drank an extra bowl of soup than usual."

"It's not that I'm in a particularly good mood, it's just that watching the Empress eat makes my appetite much better than before."

Shen Qingwan: ...

Shen Qingwan's expression suddenly froze upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words.

She wasn't actually enjoying her food; she was clearly channeling her grief and anger into her appetite. She wanted to use her actions to retaliate against the fact that Emperor Yuanwu had stayed overnight at Kunning Palace.

As the Empress Dowager's voice faded, Emperor Yuanwu turned to look at Shen Qingwan. He hadn't noticed before the Empress Dowager spoke, but now that she had mentioned it, he did feel that he always had a good appetite when dining with the Empress.

Even at the palace banquet in the Hall of Preserving Harmony last time, Shen Qingwan was able to eat five crabs in one night without making a sound.

Sure enough, having a pretentious noblewoman sitting next to you while dining can indeed affect your appetite.

Only now did he realize that Shen Qingwan was also a straightforward person.

"Your Majesty, please stop staring at the Empress. Did you remember what I just said?" The Empress Dowager's gaze shifted, and her expression instantly turned serious.

Emperor Yuanwu quickly withdrew his gaze, as if deliberately concealing something. He lowered his head and took a sip of the soup in his bowl, managing to squeeze out a single "hmm" through his nose.

Thinking of her own guess from yesterday, Shen Qingwan took this opportunity to turn her head and look at Emperor Yuanwu.

But the way he was drinking his soup with his head down showed no sign of anything unusual.

Could it be that she guessed wrong?
The real reason why Emperor Yuanwu never favored the original owner was not because he didn't want a legitimate son, but simply because he disliked the original owner.

Shen Qingwan had no clue what to do, so she simply stopped thinking about it.

"Empress, stop staring at the Emperor. Since you two enjoy looking at each other so much, then extinguish the candles tonight and enjoy the view." Shen Qingwan: ???

As soon as the Empress Dowager finished speaking, Eunuch Li walked in from outside the Cining Palace: "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress, and Consort Xian request an audience."

Shen Qingwan paused, her chopsticks still in her hand. It was truly a case of speaking of the devil and he appears. Just moments ago, the Empress Dowager was complaining that Consort Xian hadn't come to express her gratitude, but she hadn't expected her to arrive so soon.

Consort Xian entered the main hall and was slightly taken aback when she saw Emperor Yuanwu and Shen Qingwan sitting on either side of the Empress Dowager, having breakfast.

"This concubine greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager. May Your Majesty live a thousand years! May the Emperor and Your Majesty the Empress be blessed."

Consort Xian knelt on the ground with her head down, feeling extremely annoyed.

I had planned to come early this morning to express my gratitude to the Empress Dowager and also to gauge her opinion. Although I had been granted the title of Imperial Concubine, my power to assist in managing the six palaces remained...

But to my surprise, the Empress was also there.

Today is the second day of the Lunar New Year, the day when daughters go back to their parents' home. What is she doing here so early in the morning, being someone's daughter-in-law?
Although she was granted the title of Imperial Concubine, she felt uneasy about it, always feeling that the title was just an empty shell.

"Has the Imperial Concubine had breakfast yet? Would you like to sit down and have some with me?"

The moment Emperor Yuanwu finished speaking, Shen Qingwan put down her chopsticks.

Emperor Yuanwu:...

Shen Qingwan: ? ? ?

She was truly full.

When the Empress Dowager saw Shen Qingwan put down her chopsticks, she also put down her own.

Consort Xian smiled awkwardly: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I have already had breakfast."

"Since you've eaten, Consort, please rise," the Empress Dowager said, putting down her chopsticks.

"Thank you, Queen Mother."

Consort Xian stood up and stood there for a while, unsure whether to sit or stand.

The Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress were having breakfast together at the table. She was just a concubine, and even though she was now a Noble Consort, she was still just a concubine. Seeing the Empress Dowager and the Empress being affectionate with each other, she made up an excuse to leave, and it seemed that no one noticed.

We exited the Cining Palace.

Consort Xian sighed deeply twice, and after taking only two steps, she encountered Consort Chun.

When Consort Chun was selected for the imperial concubine selection, it was the Empress who designated the people who would stay. However, she was recently fined half a year's salary by the Empress. Although the palace seemed to have enough to eat and wear, the money spent on bribing the servants was still a lot of money, and it added up to a considerable sum over the year.

"This concubine greets Your Highness, may Your Highness be blessed." Consort Chun performed a very solemn kneeling ceremony.

This act of kneeling made Consort Xian feel much better.

"What is Consort Chun doing? The ground is still frozen, why are you kneeling?" Consort Chun said that she didn't need to kneel, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.

"This morning I heard that Her Majesty the Empress Dowager issued an edict promoting Consort Chun to the rank of Imperial Concubine. I haven't had a chance to congratulate her yet, so please forgive me, Imperial Concubine." Consort Chun knelt on the ground, her head bowed.

"It's so cold outside, the ground is chilly, sister, get up quickly." Consort Xian said, helping Consort Chun up from the ground: "We are all sisters in the palace, it's too formal for you to say such things."

"Your Highness is now a Noble Consort. Among all our concubines, the Noble Consort is the most honored. The Noble Consort can be considered to be on par with the Empress."

(End of this chapter)