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

Chapter 128 Benefiting the kidneys
"These ordinary foods can also sober you up?" Emperor Yuanwu took a bite with some skepticism, and it seemed to taste quite good.

“Of course, medicine has some toxicity. Hasn’t Your Majesty heard of food therapy? Putting these things together can not only sober you up, but also nourish your heart, strengthen your spleen, moisten your lungs, and benefit your kidneys,” Shen Qingwan said very seriously.

Beneficial for the kidneys?

When Emperor Yuanwu heard those two words, he coughed violently, choked by the sound.

Shen Qingwan hurriedly handed him a handkerchief. She thought that Emperor Yuanwu's strong reaction meant that he did not believe that ingredients, when properly combined, could sometimes play the role of medicinal herbs, or even be better.

"For example, chives and oysters can enhance male virility, while black sesame seeds can nourish the liver and kidneys and replenish essence and blood..."

Emperor Yuanwu took a sip of water brought to him by a palace servant, just suppressing his cough, when his gaze inadvertently fell upon the dishes laid out on the plate.

Chives and eggs, garlic vermicelli and oysters—it's hard to come by, but this roll, which doesn't look like anything special, is sprinkled with black sesame seeds.

Emperor Yuanwu:...

"Okay, stop talking."

What does the Empress mean by this? Does she think that because he hasn't favored him, she's implying that he's impotent?
Shen Qingwan: ? ? ?

She's not wrong!

Shen Qingwan was beginning to understand the true value of the phrase "avoiding medical treatment for fear of catching one's illness."

Ancient emperors, who needed to produce offspring every day, were all physically weak at a young age. Taking tonics was only a temporary solution and not a cure. It would have been better to focus on their diet.

Consort Lan had just lost a child, and the imperial harem already had few offspring. In the new year, Emperor Yuanwu would have to work harder. Now, besides the four children originally in the palace, only the child in Consort Rou's womb remained.

If a few more pregnant concubines don't come along, not only will the Empress Dowager be anxious, but even she, as the Empress, will find it hard to stand it. Otherwise, she might truly be remembered for nothing but the word "no good."

Even as the empress, she felt she couldn't bear the shame.

After much thought, Shen Qingwan secretly made up her mind that since Emperor Yuanwu liked to dine at Kunning Palace, she would prepare more aphrodisiac foods for him when he came over in the future.

Given that Emperor Yuanwu was a man who cared too much about his image, he certainly wouldn't let the Imperial Medical Academy prescribe any aphrodisiacs for him, so he could only rely on dietary supplements.

Emperor Yuanwu didn't like the wontons she made; next time, he'll make pork and chive wontons!

"Isn't the Empress even a little curious about Prince Qi Rui's affairs? Today, the Empress Dowager, the Noble Consort, the Consort Shu, and the Consort De all went over there," Emperor Yuanwu said casually while eating.

"It's not a matter of curiosity or not, it's just that this matter really requires me to go. The Emperor would naturally have someone wake me up at that time, so how could he have palace servants help me to bed when I was about to leave?"

Shen Qingwan spoke calmly, revealing no emotion.

But at this moment, her heart didn't seem so calm.

It seems that Emperor Yuanwu is really bothered by the fact that Prince Rui had a marriage agreement with the original owner of this body.

Since she transmigrated into the original owner's body, this has been the umpteenth time she has tried.

Emperor Yuanwu chuckled and said nothing more, leaving Shen Qingwan with some peace and quiet, no longer needing to think about how to deal with him.

After finishing his dinner, Emperor Yuanwu returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

As the palace servants cleared away the food trays and plates, Shen Qingwan noticed that Emperor Yuanwu was indeed stubborn. Just now, when she mentioned that aphrodisiac, he hadn't touched a single bite.

man!

How ridiculous! Is he trying to prove himself capable in this way?

If you really want to prove it, having more of the concubines in the harem get pregnant would be more effective than starvation.

Shen Qingwan slept all afternoon and wasn't sleepy. Originally, the palace banquet for the Lantern Festival was a gathering of many people in the palace for lunch, and in the evening, there would be some lanterns and riddles.

With Prince Rui's incident today, everyone in the palace must be feeling insecure. Who would be in the mood to enjoy the lanterns and solve riddles?

After washing up, Shen Qingwan picked up a book and sat on the bed to read.

She used to think that ancient books were all stilted and uninteresting, but after reading a few, she discovered that ancient books were not only interesting, but also used very bold language. Many of the things that were forbidden in her time could be found in ancient times.

Shen Qingwan couldn't help but feel sorry for the books that had been burned by the policy. The more she read, the more engrossed she became. She read until the early hours of the morning before reluctantly putting down the book and lying on the bed with her eyes closed.

Just as she fell asleep, Zhen'er woke her up again.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Something has occurred at Yanxi Palace! Your Majesty, please go and see!"

I had just fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning when I was woken up again. The drowsiness and irritability I felt were beyond what could be simply described as "morning grumpiness."

It turns out that there were many things to do in the palace during the New Year, so I didn't sleep well. In addition, Consort Lan had a miscarriage last night, so I didn't sleep well either. I had just lain down tonight when something else happened. Even the best temper would probably explode.

"What is it now?" Shen Qingwan asked impatiently.

"Your Majesty, it is said that Consort De is not feeling well. The imperial physician has been summoned, and it seems that she is pregnant. The Emperor is already on his way to Yanxi Palace. Your Majesty, you should get up quickly, lest the Emperor arrive before you, which would be impolite." Zhen'er said cautiously, seeing that Shen Qingwan was in a bad mood.

Pregnant?
Pregnancy isn't a huge deal, why does it have to happen in the middle of the night?
Could it be that the imperial physicians couldn't detect the pulse during the day and could only do so at midnight?

This Consort De is really good at causing trouble.

However, since Consort De had already made a mistake once before, it seems that this time it must be confirmed, otherwise she wouldn't have dared to directly alarm Emperor Yuanwu.

It's strange, I was wondering why there were no pregnant concubines in the palace, but Consort De is pregnant now.

If Consort De's body was truly conducive to pregnancy, how could she have been pregnant for so many years after entering the household, and then suddenly become pregnant?

It is strange, indeed. Consort De made such a grand spectacle that even the Emperor went. It would be unreasonable for her, as the Empress, not to attend.

Consort De was different from Prince Rui. No matter what, Prince Rui was not a member of the harem.

No matter what happens, it's her duty as the sister-in-law to go, not to go.

Shen Qingwan reluctantly got out of bed, changed her clothes, casually tied her hair up with a purple jade hairpin, and rode in a sedan chair to Yanxi Palace.

Yanxi Palace was bustling with activity in the middle of the night, brightly lit. She stepped out of her carriage, and Consort Xian followed closely behind.

However, Consort Xian's expression was not so pleasant.

"This humble servant greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty be blessed."

"Get up."

The moonlight shone on Consort Xian's solemn expression, making it all the more captivating. The inner palace truly was a grand stage for opera, far more spectacular than the opera troupes that performed there on ordinary days.

Opera troupes always have lines and scripts when they perform, but the plays that Shen Qingwan watched were all emotional dramas that revealed genuine feelings.

(End of this chapter)