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

Chapter 162 Encouragement
After the two walked out of Kunning Palace, Consort Shen took Consort Xia's arm and said, "Sister, we entered the palace on the same day. I just saw that your birthday is a month older than mine, so I will call you sister from now on. In the future, we can take care of each other in the harem."

"Life in the palace is not easy. You must be careful in everything you do from now on, little sister." Compared to Consort Shen, Consort Xia was clearly not in high spirits. She took a few steps and then turned her head to look in the direction of Kunning Palace.

"Sister, when did you start serving in the Prince's mansion?" Consort Shen asked curiously.

"I don't know when. And what about my sister? When did she start serving in the Prince's mansion?" Consort Xia asked in return.

"It's a long story. My mother is a distant cousin of the Princess Consort of Prince Xiang. When my family encountered some misfortune, the Princess Consort took pity on me and brought me to the Prince's residence, where she has been raising me ever since. Yesterday, she said she was going to send me to the palace. They didn't even ask me if I wanted to, and they just forced me into the carriage. I was still in a daze when I went to pay my respects to the Empress just now." As Consort Shen spoke, tears gradually welled up in her eyes.

Consort Xia stopped and gently patted her back twice to comfort her. "Since ancient times, women have not been able to make their own decisions about marriage. Even if they don't enter the palace, they may not become someone else's wife in the future. So, entering the palace to serve may not be a bad thing."

"Really?" Consort Shen stopped crying and looked up, puzzled. "But I've heard that there are many rules in the palace, and if you're not careful, you could get yourself killed."

"Even with many rules, there are still rules, aren't there? As long as we learn the rules properly and follow them in everything, without letting anyone find fault, they won't punish us for no reason in broad daylight," Consort Xia reassured her. "I just met Her Majesty the Empress, and I think she is a gentle and kind person, not difficult to get along with, which seems to match the rumors..."

rumor……

At this, Consort Shen's eyes widened in surprise. She cautiously glanced around to make sure no one was passing by before lowering her voice and saying, "I don't know if you've heard of this, but before our Empress married the Emperor, she was betrothed to Prince Rui. I don't know how, but the late Emperor suddenly bestowed her upon the Emperor. Do you think the Empress mentioned Prince Rui to you just now? Was she trying to trick you into revealing something about him?"

Consort Xia's eyes darkened: "Sister, you just said that there are many rules in the palace, and one careless move could cost you your head. How could you forget all those rules so quickly? Do you think we can criticize the Empress behind her back?"

Consort Shen turned pale with fright: "Sister is right, I misspoke."

"If my sister has nothing else, I must return to pay my respects to Consort Jin. Let's meet again another day when we have time." Consort Xia bowed and, without waiting for Consort Shen to say anything more, quickly walked towards Xianfu Palace.

The palace is bustling with activity now.

One of the three princely residences sent a woman to the emperor, and all three were granted the title of Noble Lady. Those who entered the palace through the imperial concubine selection but remained at the level of Attendant were inevitably dissatisfied.

"Your Highness, do you think Prince Rui and Prince Xiang arranged for someone to enter the palace because they saw that Consort Yao was favored? But I don't think these two consorts look like Consort Yao at all."

After Consort Shen and Consort Xia left, Zhen'er couldn't help but ask.

"If it were because Consort Yao looked like her, it would be understandable that the two princes sent her into the palace to curry favor with the Emperor. But these two, not only do they not look like Consort Yao, but their temperament is also far inferior. Sending them into the palace so rashly and even bestowing upon them the title of Consort, with a rank even higher than some of the palace maids who entered through the imperial selection, I'm afraid the harem will not be peaceful for a long time."

Shen Qingwan remained silent. As for who was favored, who had a high status, and who had a low status in the harem, it was not determined by birth at all.

Even life and death are decided by the emperor's word.

Human relationships and social customs are something that exist in all dynasties and at all times.

Having connections in the imperial court makes it easier to get an official position; one's background often just provides a better stepping stone than others.

At this moment, Shen Qingwan's biggest thought was why Prince Rui had sent Consort Xia into the palace.

What exactly is the relationship between Consort Xia and Prince Rui? Does she know nothing about it, or is she actually a confidante of Prince Rui, someone who can be sent in as a spy when Prince Xiang and Prince Yao are arranging concubines for Emperor Yuanwu?

What exactly does he want to do? Although Shen Qingwan wasn't particularly interested in power struggles between men.

However, she felt that she was living a good life in the harem and did not want anyone to disrupt it.

If Prince Rui really intends to rebel, should she tell Emperor Yuanwu about it?

Shen Qingwan sighed inwardly; this was really troublesome.

There were some things Shen Qingwan couldn't understand, so she simply stopped thinking about them.

Since the Empress Dowager said yesterday that she was not feeling well, as her daughter-in-law, she had to go and see her today no matter what. After lunch,

Shen Qingwan went to Cining Palace, and to her surprise, Emperor Yuanwu was there, but Consort Xian was also there.

How did she get here?
As the Empress, Shen Qingwan had unimpeded access to the inner palace. No one dared to stop her wherever she went. After a eunuch announced her arrival, she went directly into the Empress Dowager's palace.

Consort Xian seemed quite surprised that Shen Qingwan would come to the Empress Dowager's palace at this time. She paused slightly in the direction of the door and hurriedly stood up.

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

Shen Qingwan paused in her steps.

Isn't Consort Xian being a little too eager?

According to palace rules, when she arrived at the Empress Dowager's palace, she should first pay her respects to the Empress Dowager and then pay her respects to Emperor Yuanwu before it was Consort Xian's turn to pay her respects.

She insisted on inviting An first, which put An in a bit of a dilemma.

This Consort Xian...

Shen Qingwan ignored her and instead took two steps toward the Empress Dowager, curtsied, and said, "Your daughter-in-law greets Your Majesty, may Your Majesty be well." She then turned to Emperor Yuanwu, who was sitting on the other side, and said, "Your Majesty."

The Empress Dowager didn't look well, but she seemed to be in good spirits.

It seems that Emperor Yuanwu came today to apologize to the Empress Dowager for what happened yesterday, and he has probably already appeased her.

As for Consort Xian?

Shen Qingwan guessed that perhaps Emperor Yuanwu was afraid that if he came alone, he would be punished by the Empress Dowager, so he simply called another person to come... to bolster his courage?
In any case, as long as the Empress Dowager is satisfied, she doesn't need to say too much. She can go back to rest after paying her respects.

"Your Majesty need not stand all the time, please sit down."

After the Empress Dowager spoke, Shen Qingwan naturally walked to the stool next to the Empress Dowager and sat down. When she looked up, she saw Consort Xian, who was still maintaining proper etiquette.

(End of this chapter)