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

Chapter 164 Tired of Eating

These two were sent by the Prince's Mansion; what do they have to do with her?

She'd arranged everything for him, yet he was still dissatisfied. Did she only want to be happy if she ignored the people sent by the Prince's mansion?

"Your Majesty..." Shen Qingwan paused, "Can I take Your Majesty's words as a compliment?"

Emperor Yuanwu's eyes flashed coldly as he turned to look at Shen Qingwan, his gaze as if he wanted to devour her.

Shen Qingwan was taken aback. "Is His Majesty really angry?"

Emperor Yuanwu didn't speak, but turned his head to the other side. His expression clearly showed that he was very angry, but he stubbornly asked, "Does the Empress really enjoy me visiting the palaces of the newly arrived concubines?"

Hearing his words, Shen Qingwan thought for a moment and said, "That's not entirely true."

This sentence successfully softened Emperor Yuanwu's expression somewhat.

Just one second.

"Actually, I would be very happy if Your Majesty went to visit your old concubines. After all, being fickle and easily bored is not the behavior of a monarch."

Emperor Yuanwu:...

Emperor Yuanwu's gloomy face was tinged with deep anger.

Shen Qingwan, seemingly unaware of this, continued, "However, most of the sisters who have served the Emperor since the Prince's residence are now unable to bear children. The Emperor still has to consider the well-being of the country, since there are too few offspring in the harem."

"It's not that we don't have any children, but the Empress is truly concerned about the world, worrying about the selection of a crown prince every day. In that case, why doesn't the Empress think about having a child for herself? The Empress's son is the legitimate son, with an incomparably noble status. No matter which concubine's child is born, they can never surpass him." Emperor Yuanwu suddenly turned around, his eyes fixed on Shen Qingwan.

In just a brief moment, Shen Qingwan quickly lost her nerve. She dared not continue speaking, for if she truly angered Emperor Yuanwu, she feared she would be in deep trouble.

"Your Majesty, why speak so aggressively? I only said something nice to cheer you up because I saw that Your Majesty seemed to have been scolded by the Empress Dowager." Shen Qingwan lowered her eyes, her words tinged with grievance. "Your Majesty is my husband, and the children he has with his concubines are naturally my children as well. No matter if they are new or old concubines in the harem, as long as they give birth to Your Majesty's children, I will love them all and treat them as my own. Only by entrusting the Crown Prince to a virtuous and capable prince can the country be secure forever. Don't you agree, Your Majesty?"

After Shen Qingwan finished speaking, she curtsied and smiled, a faint smile that was bright and captivating, unlike anything she had seen before.

This time, Emperor Yuanwu caught a glimpse of submission and apology in the smile on her lips. That fleeting, unintentional glance stirred ripples in Emperor Yuanwu's heart.

To back down and apologize?
This was something he had never seen before.

He always felt that Shen Qingwan loved him. Regardless of the troubles they had caused before or their current respectful relationship, he felt that it was just a way for her to get his attention.

After all, he had seen far too many women in the harem trying to please him.

But that one casual glance just now made him clearly feel that the woman in front of him did not love him, or even that she had no feelings for him at all.

Her feelings for him were like the awe and respect between a ruler and his subject.

yes!
It seems he's had this feeling more than once.

He had felt the same way once before when he dined in her palace, but he never took it to heart.

Now, when he realized it, it seemed that Shen Qingwan no longer had the same obsession with him as she had back then. After Shen Qingwan finished speaking, she saw that Emperor Yuanwu was still in a daze, and she didn't know if he had listened to her. If she continued to insist like this, she would only suffer in the end. It would be better to make a quick getaway before Emperor Yuanwu got angry.

"If Your Majesty has nothing else, I will return now. I will come back to apologize to Your Majesty once Your Majesty has calmed down." Shen Qingwan curtsied.

Emperor Yuanwu looked at her coldly and listened to her words, "Wait until I calm down before you apologize." He found it all laughable.

Now that everyone's anger has subsided, what crime can be considered minor?
Should one apologize when he is angry?
It was clearly a grammatically incorrect sentence, yet it made Emperor Yuanwu laugh in exasperation.

"The Empress is indeed eloquent; how come I never noticed before?" Emperor Yuanwu snorted coldly.

“It’s not too late for Your Majesty to discover this now. It’s just that I didn’t realize it before. It turns out that Your Majesty calls me Empress differently when you’re angry and when you’re not.” Shen Qingwan smiled gently.

"Oh?" Emperor Yuanwu drawled, "What's the difference?"

"No...no, it just felt like the Emperor was doing a routine business, summoning a subject." After saying that, Shen Qingwan imitated the manner of a minister and performed a courtier's salute: "Then this concubine will take her leave."

Emperor Yuanwu smiled helplessly and waved his hand at her, "You may leave."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Tonight, I will dine in your palace. There's no need for anything special; just prepare some of your favorite dishes. I'm tired of what the imperial kitchen makes."

"Yes." Shen Qingwan curtsied.

Emperor Yuanwu watched her departing figure from afar, a faint smile subtly curving his lips.

Wu Jixiang was stunned.

He looked at the Empress's departing figure as if he couldn't believe his eyes, and then at Emperor Yuanwu, who remained standing still.

He had served Emperor Yuanwu since childhood and had seen all sorts of different sides of the emperor. This was the first time he had ever seen the emperor so easily appeased when he was angry.

Is it possible...

Wu Jixiang didn't know if he was right, but in that instant, he felt that Emperor Yuanwu's feelings of disgust and helplessness towards Shen Qingwan had long since disappeared.

Emperor Yuanwu was in a better mood and returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to handle official business. He was busy until dinner time when the Imperial Household Department sent over a green plaque.

Emperor Yuanwu glanced at the green plaques bearing the names of Consort Shen and Consort Xia, which were placed in the most conspicuous position, and chuckled softly.

He casually flipped one over and then set off for Kunning Palace.

When Emperor Yuanwu arrived at Kunning Palace, Shen Qingwan just received a letter from Liu Ruyan sent back from the northern desert.

Calling it a family letter is a bit of a stretch, since Liu Ruyan is now Princess Chang Le and has nothing to do with the Liu family anymore. But if there really is no connection, the first thing she said in the letter was that she called her cousin.

Shen Qingwan frowned slightly, feeling that this letter was not so simple. Although she was not the original owner of the body and had not grown up with Liu Ruyan, based on their few meetings and the things Liu Ruyan had done, Shen Qingwan had a feeling that this was definitely not just a letter to let her know that she was safe.

Sure enough, after patiently reading on, at the end of the letter, Liu Ruyan mentioned...

(End of this chapter)