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

Chapter 150 Threat
Thinking back on the past six months, I've been frequently grounded and punished.

Consort Xian felt even more annoyed.

Consort De, using her unborn child as an excuse, continued to pester Emperor Yuanwu.

The Empress was only slightly frightened, not seriously injured, so why did the Empress Dowager personally visit Kunning Palace late at night?

"She had better pray that this pregnancy goes smoothly, otherwise we'll see how long she can be so smug," Consort Xian said through gritted teeth.

The Empress had no choice. Regardless of whether the Empress Dowager and the Emperor favored her or not, she was still the Empress. But Consort De…

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Consort De's pregnancy has been unstable since she became pregnant. I heard that she bled after just taking a bath last time. I'm afraid that Consort De and the prince in her womb are not yet destined to be together."

Consort Xian's expression finally softened a bit, and a sly smile appeared on her lips: "Oh~ it seems that Consort De hasn't caused enough trouble."

Consort De and Consort Xian entered Kunning Palace one after the other.

Shen Qingwan sat in the main hall, holding a cup of osmanthus tea and chatting with the concubines who had arrived earlier.

"This concubine greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty be blessed." Consort De smiled radiantly, clearly in a very good mood.

Consort De loved to dress flamboyantly on a daily basis. Although she didn't wear heavy makeup, she was still quite glamorous.

However, because she is pregnant today, she is not wearing makeup, and even her clothes look much more plain than usual.

This outfit is so unusual?

"No need for such formalities, Consort De. You are pregnant, so there's no need for you to come and pay your respects," Shen Qingwan said softly.

"I've come today not only to pay my respects to Her Majesty the Empress, but also to apologize to her." Consort De lowered her eyes somewhat embarrassed. "Yesterday I wasn't feeling well, so I sent someone to invite His Majesty, but I didn't know that His Majesty would be coming to Kunning Palace to see Her Majesty the Empress. These servants are really getting more and more useless. I only found out about such a big matter this morning, so I've come here specifically to apologize to Your Majesty." After Consort De finished speaking, she curtsied.

Shen Qingwan watched her put on an act with a smile.

"Consort De need not feel guilty. I am fine now. It's just that last night, it was the Empress Dowager who sent Zhang Mama to invite the Emperor. I only found out later and didn't take it to heart. Consort De is pregnant, and according to the Imperial Hospital, the pregnancy is not very stable. Consort De should stay in the palace and take good care of herself."

Shen Qingwan's tone was very calm, especially her expression. When she said these words, there wasn't even the slightest ripple, making it seem like she had punched a cotton ball. Consort De's smile instantly froze on her face.

Instead, Shen Qingwan smiled and winked at her, saying, "Sit down."

Concubine De: ...

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty." Consort De's smile was a little stiff.

"It is a great event in the palace that you can bear the emperor's heir. The emperor and I are both happy for you," Shen Qingwan said with a nonchalant concern.

The smile on Consort De's face froze even more: "I am also happy that I am pregnant with the Emperor's child."

When Consort Xian walked in, she happened to hear this sentence. She already disliked Consort De, and hearing her words made her even more annoyed.

"If Consort De's next pregnancy results in a prince, His Majesty will be even happier," Consort Xian said resentfully.

"How could I possibly have such a wish?" Consort De glanced back at her, knowing that Consort Xian's words were ill-intentioned, and thus refrained from anger.

The Empress doesn't even have a legitimate son yet, so how dare she express the wish that the child in her womb is a prince? "Could it be that Consort De likes princesses and wants a princess?" Consort Xian's words made Consort De's face turn ashen.

In this harem, although the princesses and princes are all their own children, who wouldn't want a prince? The princess will eventually get married, and no matter how well she marries, she will have to move into the prince consort's mansion. If she is unlucky, she may be sent away for a political marriage.

The princes are different. Since they cannot ascend the throne and become emperor in the future, even if they are just princes, they will have their own princely residence. After the emperor passes away, they can go to live in the princely residence with their sons and no longer have to stay in the palace and live a life of caution and anxiety.

You may like someone in your heart, but saying it out loud is a different matter.

This Consort Xian had just been released from confinement, and she came to make things difficult for her.

Consort De lowered her eyes and gently touched her belly: "His Majesty said that he likes both princes and princesses."

Consort Xian's eyes flashed with a cold sharpness, but she smiled and said, "Whether it's a prince or a princess, they are all the Emperor's children. How could the Emperor not like them?"

What's so great about Consort De that she acts like she never heard of such things when she was pregnant?

Even if the emperor likes it, so what?

At this time, her third prince was not yet being raised in Consort Shu's palace.

Thinking of this, Consort Xian's face also fell.

Shen Qingwan picked up the teacup beside her, took a small sip, and felt a sense of unease, like watching tigers fight from the sidelines... quite exciting.

Both Consort De and Consort Shu felt they had been wronged and stopped talking.

The remaining concubines sitting in the main hall also fell silent, each with their own plans.

They weren't empresses. No matter which prince in the harem inherited the throne, she would still be the Holy Mother Empress Dowager. So what if she didn't have a legitimate son? Moreover, her position as empress was becoming more and more secure. Although an accident occurred when she went to Huguo Temple, the Empress Dowager personally went to check on it. This shows that the empress's status in the harem was no longer that of the empress who posed no threat. This was not only a threat to the concubines who had princes, but also something that every concubine had to take seriously.

Seeing that no one was talking and there seemed to be nothing to see, Shen Qingwan dismissed them. Rather than wasting time with them, she decided to think about what to have for lunch. Since returning from Huguo Temple, she had been sleeping and hadn't had a proper meal.

Cherry meat is a beautiful, glossy, and tender red color, making it an excellent dish to eat with rice. Paired with a plate of garlic-flavored lettuce, it's perfect for cutting through the richness. As for the soup... try the quail soup, which is good for your energy and calming your mind.

After deciding what to eat, Shen Qingwan sent Zhen'er to the imperial kitchen to deliver the message.

Although she only ordered two dishes and a soup, the imperial kitchen staff would not treat her, the empress, unfairly, and would still add some dishes according to her usual preferences.

As they walked out of Kunning Palace, Consort Chun quickly followed: "Your Majesty, don't be angry with her. Since Consort De became pregnant, she has caused quite a bit of trouble in the harem. There are many people in the harem who don't like her."

"Heh." Consort Xian sneered, "I don't have time to be childish with her. She's just pregnant now, not yet born. There have always been pregnant concubines in the harem, but very few are actually able to give birth."

“Your Majesty is right,” Consort Chun replied.

Consort Xian paused, turned to look at Consort Chun from head to toe: "You have served the Emperor for quite some time now, yet you are still only a Consort, and you do not have a single child."

Consort Chun's face turned ashen, and she lowered her eyes: "This concubine does not have the same good fortune as Your Highness."

(End of this chapter)