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

Chapter 148 Jealousy
"The matter of providing nourishment for the Emperor is a secret known only to Heaven, Earth, you, and me. No third person is allowed to know, otherwise..."

After Shen Qingwan finished speaking, she made a throat-slitting gesture with one hand across her neck.

Zhen'er's face turned ashen, and she nodded repeatedly: "Your Majesty, this servant understands."

Shen Qingwan breathed a sigh of relief. Giving Emperor Yuanwu nourishment wasn't a matter of losing her head, but if the people in the harem knew that she was afraid Emperor Yuanwu was impotent, she would give him things that would make it easier for him to favor the concubines.

I'm afraid Emperor Yuanwu will lose face, since you can say a man can do anything, but you can't say he can't.

If Emperor Yuanwu, in order to save face, were to execute everyone in Kunning Palace who had seen him consume the aphrodisiac recipe, wouldn't that be a crime?

No no no!

This must be kept secret!!!
Zhen'er was moved to tears. In the past, she thought that her empress did not like Emperor Yuanwu because she did not compete for his favor. Now it seems that her empress truly loves the emperor.

Even something as rewarding as preparing tonics for Emperor Yuanwu had to be done secretly, for fear of being discovered by others. It seems that their empress truly loved the emperor, which is why she was willing to endure such hardship.

"Your Majesty," Zhen'er's eyes welled up with tears, "I know you are angry with Consort De because you care about the Emperor, but even if you are angry, you must not show your displeasure to the Emperor. If the Emperor gets angry, he may blame Your Majesty."

Shen Qingwan: ? ? ?

She's angry!?

When did she get angry?

Why is she angry?

What does Emperor Yuanwu's favoritism towards Consort De have to do with her?
"When did I get angry?" Shen Qingwan asked in surprise.

"Huh?" Zhen'er's eyes lit up: "Your Majesty, you're not angry, so why did you treat the Emperor like that?"

"What?" Shen Qingwan was even more puzzled.

Zhen'er glanced around, mimicking Shen Qingwan's blank stare and unfocused gaze as she said in a cold tone, "Your Majesty is overthinking it. I don't mind, and I won't mind. It's a blessing for Consort De to be able to conceive, and it's also a blessing for Your Majesty. It's only right that Your Majesty takes extra care of her. Besides, I'm fine."

Shen Qingwan: ? ? ?

“Your Majesty, I am fine now. If Your Majesty has nothing else to do, why don’t you go and see Consort De? After all, bleeding is not a good thing for a pregnant woman.”

Shen Qingwan: !!

"Was I really like that just now?"

Zhen'er nodded seriously and earnestly.

Shen Qingwan: ...

Finished!

This time it's really over.

Watching Zhen'er imitate her, she herself felt that what she said and her expression made her seem like she was jealous.

She was just sleepy and wanted to get Emperor Yuanwu to leave as soon as possible; she wasn't being jealous.

Shen Qingwan felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of cold water from head to toe, her heart sinking to the bone.

"Your Majesty, Consort Xian came over this morning to pay her respects, but I saw that you were asleep, so I let her go back first."

"Consort Xian?" Shen Qingwan retorted, "Isn't she under house arrest?"

"I heard that the Empress Dowager sent her to pay her respects to you."

I'm afraid the greeting was just a pretense; his real intention was to lift Consort Xian's confinement.

Now that Consort De is newly pregnant, the Empress Dowager has found an excuse to release her, showing how much she fears one person becoming too powerful in the harem. Consort De is now a pawn to check Consort Xian. It's true that fortunes change, and Consort Xian has also been used to control Consort De, and her confinement has been lifted. "I understand," Shen Qingwan replied indifferently. She finished the bowl of lotus seed and pork heart soup, feeling a bit greasy, and asked for some dried apricots to change the flavor. She didn't eat anything else.

"Your Majesty, are you angry?" Zhen'er asked cautiously.

Shen Qingwan: ? ? ?

"What's wrong with you today? Why do you keep thinking I'm angry? Am I usually such an easily angered person?" Shen Qingwan asked in surprise.

Zhen'er shook her head, but the expression on her face was somewhat indescribable.

Shen Qingwan stared at her for two seconds. Zhen'er was usually not very talkative, so what was wrong with her today?
She felt that Zhen'er didn't just want to care about her; it was more like she wanted to tell her something.

"I'm a little tired. Go and prepare a tub of hot water for me. I want to take a bath." Shen Qingwan dismissed all the people around her. "Is there anything you want to say to me?"

Zhen'er: ...

"Your Majesty, you are truly amazing! How did you know I had something to tell you?"

Shen Qingwan: ...

"Speak quickly, lest people think that we, master and servant, are hiding in the room whispering to each other, as if we are plotting something."

"Your Majesty." Zhen'er hesitated for a while, then gritted her teeth and knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, if I tell you, you won't kill me, will you?"

Shen Qingwan: ? ? ?

"You betrayed me? Did you conspire with Consort Xian, or did you sell me out to Consort De? It's alright, I just finished drinking lotus seed and pork heart soup, I should be able to handle it."

"Your Majesty," Zhen'er stamped her foot, "What time is it? How can you still be in the mood to joke around here?"

Shen Qingwan laughed out loud, "It's all because you kept me in suspense and wouldn't tell me."

Even though they were the only two people in the room, Zhen'er still walked to Shen Qingwan's side and whispered in her ear, "Your Majesty, I know you don't like the Emperor and that you still have Prince Rui in your heart. But now that you've married the Emperor and are the most honorable Empress, you've forgotten about Prince Rui. Your Majesty, thankfully Consort De invited the Emperor away last night. If the Emperor had heard you calling Prince Rui's name in your sleep..."

Shen Qingwan's heart skipped a beat, and her expression went through a series of emotions.

Did she call out Prince Rui's name in her sleep?

How can this be?

"really?"

Zhen'er nodded helplessly. What kind of time was this? Her mistress still didn't believe her. "Your Majesty, you didn't allow the Emperor to stay overnight in Kunning Palace before. I kept advising you. I was being ignorant. Your Majesty, please don't feel sorry for us servants in the future. Let them keep watch outside the palace at night."

Shen Qingwan: ...

She knew why she had called out Prince Rui's name in her sleep.

It was because Prince Rui had risked everything to save her when she encountered those thugs.

Rather than saying he saved her, it would be more accurate to say he saved the original owner of this body.

Although we don't know what exactly happened between Prince Rui and the original owner, this incident shows that Prince Rui's feelings for the original owner are genuine.

If he hasn't married because of the original owner of this body, I wonder if he knew that the original owner had actually passed away more than half a year ago...

"Don't worry, I will be more careful in the future and it won't happen again." Shen Qingwan's gaze became somewhat solemn and complicated.

However, Zhen'er didn't quite believe what she said.

(End of this chapter)