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

Chapter 154 Prince
Su Tianhe hurriedly walked in from outside: "Your Majesty, Yanxi Palace says she is not feeling well. Would you like to go and see her?"

Feeling unwell?
She was probably upset.

Shen Qingwan really couldn't understand why she had to compete for the emperor's favor at this time. She was already pregnant, so her pulse was unstable. She kept using this excuse to summon Emperor Yuanwu, but she couldn't serve him in bed and was also making all the concubines in the palace resentful. Wasn't she just trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead?

If she could stay quietly in Yanxi Palace, perhaps she could have kept the pregnancy.

If she continues to cause trouble like this, she will eventually become the target of public criticism. What if one of the concubines really has any improper thoughts...

"Has the Emperor found out? What did he say?"

"Your Majesty, tomorrow is the anniversary of Consort Li's death. His Majesty went to Yikun Palace alone tonight and has not dared to disturb him yet."

Yikun Palace.

Consort Li died before Emperor Yuanwu ascended the throne. The title of Consort was posthumously conferred. When she was in the Prince's residence, Consort Li was just a concubine.

As for the Yikun Palace, it was a gift from Emperor Yuanwu to her, given to her as a token of his longing for her.

A palace was bestowed upon a deceased person.

Shen Qingwan really couldn't understand whether Emperor Yuanwu couldn't let go of Consort Li or her own obsession.

In any case, with so many palaces in the Eastern and Western harems, no matter how much the concubines loved to compete for the emperor's favor, no one would bother with a deceased person, especially one whom Emperor Yuanwu still fondly remembered.

"Who?"

Emperor Yuanwu stepped into the gate of Yikun Palace and vaguely saw a figure with a cloud-like hairstyle, wearing a pink dress and a white veil.

Isn't this Consort Li's favorite outfit?
Emperor Yuanwu hurried after him, but caught nothing. He stood under the withered tree, filled with disappointment. He looked up at the endless, dark night sky, without a single star, just like his empty mood.

Emperor Yuanwu stood at a distance at the entrance of Yikun Palace. After ascending the throne, he ordered Yikun Palace to be renovated. Seeing this scene, he realized it was exactly the same as Lingxiang Garden, where Consort Li had lived when she was in the Prince's Mansion.

Li'er, is that you?

So you've come back to see me, haven't you?

Emperor Yuanwu pushed open the main gate of the Yikun Palace.

Wu Jixiang hurriedly signaled for someone to light the candles, but Emperor Yuanwu stopped him by raising his hand.

"I know, I know it's Li'er who has come back to see me. Don't frighten her."

"Your Majesty," Wu Jixiang called softly, gesturing for everyone to leave, "Your Majesty misses Consort Li; you should try to find some solace."

Emperor Yuanwu took two steps toward the direction of the Yikun Palace's sleeping quarters, but stopped at the entrance.

It was because every plant and tree in Yikun Palace was exactly the same as the residence of Consort Li when he was in the Prince's Mansion that he couldn't help but recall the night Consort Li left.

Since ascending the throne, he has never returned to his original palace. Everyone says that the mansion he once lived in was the place where the dragon rose, and only the current crown prince can suppress this blessing. He originally wanted to wait until Jiang Wenlan was a little older before giving him the place to live.

At this moment, however, he especially wanted to go back to the palace. Even though Yikun Palace was built exactly like Lingxiang Garden, Consort Li had never lived here, and Emperor Yuanwu always felt that something was missing.

"What time is it now?"

"Your Majesty, it is 1:15 PM."

Emperor Yuanwu moved his lips, about to speak, when a young eunuch, looking flustered, rushed in from outside. He ran so fast that he slipped and knelt before the emperor. "What is it? Why are you so flustered? Aren't you afraid of breaking the rules in front of the emperor?" Wu Jixiang reprimanded.

"Your Majesty, this servant is from Yanxi Palace. Consort De was frightened tonight, and the imperial physician said she is not well. We would like to ask Your Majesty to come and take a look."

"What happened to Consort De?" Emperor Yuanwu's brows furrowed.

"Your Majesty, Consort De heard that Your Majesty had not eaten dinner last night, so she had the kitchen prepare some white fungus soup to send to Your Majesty as a late-night snack. However, just as she stepped out of the gate of Yanxi Palace, she somehow slipped and fell. This is not a good thing."

Emperor Yuanwu's expression changed slightly, and he roared angrily: "You're pregnant, why aren't you resting in the palace? What are you doing leaving the palace?"

"Your Majesty, Consort De is just worried about you. She was afraid that you would harm your health by not having dinner, so she wanted to personally bring you some food."

Emperor Yuanwu lowered his gaze and turned to walk towards Yanxi Palace.

Shen Qingwan arrived at almost the same time as Emperor Yuanwu.

Standing at the entrance of Yanxi Palace, one could hear Consort De crying and shouting in her bedchamber from afar.

Shen Qingwan and Emperor Yuanwu exchanged a glance.

"Don't come looking for me, it wasn't me, it really wasn't me!"

"Ah...a ghost! It's really not me! Don't come looking for me, ah..."

"A ghost, a ghost..."

Emperor Yuanwu walked to Consort De's bedside. Consort De's hair was disheveled, and she wouldn't let anyone near her. She seemed to be completely out of her mind.

At this moment, many concubines were standing in Consort De's palace, including Consort Shu, Consort Xian, Consort Jin, Noble Lady Rong, and several Attendants.

With such a large group of people standing in the bedroom of Yanxi Palace, Shen Qingwan couldn't understand how Consort De, with her arrogant and domineering personality, could have such good interpersonal relationships. It seemed more like they were there to watch a joke.

When Pei'er saw the Emperor approaching, he walked to Consort De's side and said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has come to see you. Don't be afraid, Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty..." Consort De held her head in her hands, repeating Pei'er's words over and over. She shook her head back and forth, looking around again and again, and finally her gaze fell on Emperor Yuanwu. She stared at Emperor Yuanwu for a while, as if trying to recognize something. When she saw the man in front of her clearly, she threw herself into Emperor Yuanwu's arms: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty."

Emperor Yuanwu, with one arm around Consort De, turned to Physician Zhang and asked, "What exactly happened to Consort De? Why did she suddenly become like this?"

"Your Majesty, Her Majesty was frightened, causing her qi to descend and resulting in damage to her kidney qi, making it unstable. However, this calming medicine contains cinnabar, which is not suitable for Her Majesty's pregnancy..."

Before Physician Zhang could finish speaking, Consort De suddenly gripped Emperor Yuanwu's robes tightly: "Your Majesty, she's here, she's really here, ahhhhh..."

Seeing this, Physician Zhang got up and performed acupuncture. The silver needles struck the acupoints, and Consort De finally calmed down.

"Tell me, who did you see? Who scared you like this?" Emperor Yuanwu gripped Consort De's shoulders with both hands.

"It's Consort Li, Your Majesty! Consort Li has become a ghost! She's still wearing her favorite pink dress and her signature 'Suiyun' hairstyle. It's her favorite hairstyle. Your Majesty, she's really back!"

Hearing Consort De's words, Emperor Yuanwu's eyes flickered. "You saw her too? You saw her too? Tell me where you saw her?"

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, and Shen Qingwan looked at Emperor Yuanwu with a puzzled expression.

What does it mean to "also" see?

(End of this chapter)