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

Chapter 135 Bad Luck
Consort Xian's eyes stung with tears. She raised her head, her eyes brimming with emotion, and softly called out, "Your Majesty."

Emperor Yuanwu seemed to only remember her at this moment.

"Your Highness, please get up as well."

Consort Xian sniffled in grievance. She raised her hand halfway, expecting Emperor Yuanwu to help her up as he had helped Shen Qingwan, but to her surprise, Emperor Yuanwu turned his head directly and asked Wu Jixiang, "What else did the imperial physician say?"

Consort Xian: ...

This scene was witnessed by many of the concubines sitting below.

Consort Xian awkwardly rubbed her forehead.

Consort Chun hurriedly went to her side and helped her up from the ground.

She developed a back ailment when she gave birth to the third prince. After falling and kneeling for only a short while, her back ached uncontrollably when she straightened up.

If Xia Mei hadn't caught her, she probably would have fallen to the ground by now.

The more Shen Qingwan thought about it, the more suspicious the matter seemed.

Since the hostage's attendants all said that he had not seen the other people.

It wasn't her, nor was it Consort Xian; how could so many men have been poisoned?

Could it be that he poisoned himself?
This is also impossible.

The palace rules were strict. Before entering the palace, the hostage and his entourage were searched, so it was absolutely impossible for them to bring anything in.

"Your Majesty, could you please send someone to inspect the furnishings and furniture in Chang Le Palace?" Shen Qingwan suggested.

She remembered reading in books that some people would hide deadly things in the cotton of their blankets or pillows, so that they would not attract attention and could still cause serious injury.

Shen Qingwan couldn't use things from ancient books as analogies, since there was no evidence. If an empress just said something offhand, it would only make everyone in the palace feel insecure.

Emperor Yuanwu nodded to Wu Jixiang.

Although Shen Qingwan had been quite subtle in her words, they still greatly displeased Consort Xian.

Ignoring the pain of her aggravated back injury, she knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face, and cried out, "Your Majesty the Empress asked me to prepare accommodations for the hostage, and I did my best in every detail. I really don't know when I offended Your Majesty the Empress, causing her to slander me like this. Even if Your Majesty wants to prove your innocence, you can't throw this mud at me."

Shen Qingwan: ? ? ?

She never intended to slander him.

This Consort Xian is acting way too much.

"The matter hasn't been investigated yet, so why is the Imperial Concubine in such a hurry to distance herself?" Shen Qingwan sneered.

"I simply didn't investigate the matter thoroughly enough, and you've wronged me," Consort Xian retorted.

"Now that His Majesty is personally overseeing the situation, how could he be wronged? Does the Consort not trust His Majesty, or is she feeling guilty?"

Consort Xian's face paled as she listened to Shen Qingwan's words, but she was so angry that her fingertips trembled. The Empress, on the other hand, remained calm as if she were talking about something very ordinary.

She felt a sense of powerlessness, like punching cotton.

"Your Majesty, I am truly wronged. I have done my best to prepare everything in Chang Le Palace according to the palace rules. I have no grudge against the hostage, and I have never even met him. Why would I want to harm the hostage?" Consort Xian said aggrievedly.

It's probably not because they have no grudge against each other.

If it weren't for the battle in Mobei, she would probably still only be a concubine. Not only did she have no grudges against Mobei, but it could even be said that Mobei had done Consort Xian a great favor.

However, it remains unknown how Mobei views her as a noble consort or the General's Mansion.

"Your Majesty," Consort Xian spoke again when Emperor Yuanwu remained silent, "Even though I no longer have the authority to manage the six palaces, I have always done my best in handling all matters, large and small. If Your Majesty does not believe me, then let me smash my head against this roof beam and die." Shen Qingwan: ...

If you're going to die, go back to the palace and die there!

It would be so unlucky to die by crashing into her palace!
"Your Highness is being too serious. We need to find out exactly what happened. Whether the hostage was poisoned or suffered a sudden illness, you must give me an explanation, and naturally, I must also give an explanation to Mobei." Emperor Yuanwu was already annoyed by this situation, and hearing Consort Xian's cries only made him more irritated. He spoke again with an impatient tone: "Alright, Your Highness, stop crying and get up."

Consort Xian was helped up and sat down in a chair.

Shen Qingwan looked at Emperor Yuanwu's already unpleasant expression, and it became even more unpleasant.

"Your Majesty, I noticed you didn't eat much during dinner just now, so I asked the kitchen to prepare some food for you. Please have some first."

Emperor Yuanwu waved his hand, indicating that it was not necessary.

"Your Majesty, no matter how important the matter of the hostage is, it is not as important as Your Majesty. You have been busy all day and have to attend the morning court session early tomorrow morning. If you do not eat well for dinner, wouldn't that harm your health?"

Shen Qingwan was concerned about Emperor Yuanwu because after the Empress Dowager reprimanded her, she mentioned to him that Emperor Yuanwu had indeed favored all the concubines sent to the palace by the Empress Dowager these days.

If the emperor had already shown favor to her and then did not summon her again, it would mean that Emperor Yuanwu truly disliked her, and the Empress Dowager would not be able to directly blame her when she brought up the matter in the future.

As long as she doesn't leave those concubines hanging in the air, she can be considered to have fulfilled her duties as empress.

Emperor Yuanwu had ruined his health for her sake, so she should repay his kindness by helping him recover through his diet.

However, this time Shen Qingwan did not have the small kitchen prepare any nourishing ingredients. Instead, she cooked porridge with millet, red dates, longan, and lily bulbs, and stir-fried a few light side dishes. The red and green colors on the table were quite appetizing.

"Have you eaten? Would you like to come and eat with us?" Shen Qingwan made a token gesture of invitation to the approaching concubines.

The incident involving the proton occurred right at dinner time.

If you say you haven't eaten, you've just taken a bite; if you say you're full, you've only taken one bite.

It's been almost half an hour since we started preparing, and smelling the aroma of the food, it would be a lie to say I'm not hungry.

However, on the huge food platter, there were only two bowls of porridge and four small dishes, clearly indicating that it was only prepared for the Emperor and Empress.

Who would dare say they want to eat too?

In addition, Emperor Yuanwu's face was even blacker than the bottom of a pot of porridge.

"Your Majesty, please dine with His Majesty. I am not hungry."

"Yes, I'm not hungry. It's cold, Your Majesty and Your Majesty should eat quickly before it gets cold."

"..."

Since they had all said so, Shen Qingwan sat down next to Emperor Yuanwu and started eating without any hesitation.

Consort Xian was speechless and didn't know what to say.

Seeing Shen Qingwan eating so heartily only made him more uneasy.

Whether this matter had nothing to do with the Empress or whether she had arranged everything.

Otherwise, how could she still be able to drink porridge without any distractions after things have developed to this point?
Ever since Shen Qingwan asked her to arrange the hostage situation, she felt that this matter was not simple. Could it be that Shen Qingwan had set a trap for her, waiting for her to fall into it?

The more Consort Xian thought about it, the more panicked she became.

By the time Emperor Yuanwu had finished his bowl of porridge, news had already arrived from Wu Jixiang's side.

(End of this chapter)