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

Chapter 183 She won't

It was because he learned the truth: Emperor Yuanwu had sent people to hunt her down.

Prince Rui and she were merely pawns in his grand scheme.

Why did Emperor Yuanwu do this? Was his target Prince Rui or her?
Shen Qingwan suddenly felt a chill run down her spine and broke out in a cold sweat.

If Prince Rui hadn't appeared that day, would Emperor Yuanwu have really killed her?
He went to great lengths, even at the cost of so many lives, could it all be just because of her position as empress?

Absolutely not, this matter is definitely not that simple.

Shen Qingwan moved her lips, as if she wanted to say something more, when she heard Zhen'er shout, "Your Majesty!"

Zhen'er walked quickly toward the two of them, and Shen Qingwan also emerged from behind the tree at this moment.

"Your Highness," Zhen'er deliberately raised her voice, "a tree branch scratched your clothes, but I've already fixed it for you. It's getting dark, so let's head back to the palace as soon as possible."

The moonlight couldn't hide Shen Qingwan's pale face. She simply lowered her head slowly, letting Zhen'er support her, and walked towards Kunning Palace.

After Shen Qingwan left, Gu Niancai, Prince Rui's attendant, came out from behind the artificial hill. "Your Highness."

"Let's go." After saying this, Prince Rui walked towards the Imperial Garden. After taking a couple of steps, he realized that Gu Nian hadn't followed, so he suddenly stopped and turned around. "What's wrong?"

Gu Nian knelt on one knee. "Your Highness, Miss Shen is now the Empress. If you let her know so much, aren't you afraid that she might go to the Emperor and complain about Consort Xia, which would implicate you..."

Prince Rui watched Shen Qingwan leave from afar, his gaze so deep it blended into the night. "She won't."

“But…” Gu Nian paused, “This subordinate feels that Miss Shen seems to have changed a lot, completely different from before. Could it be that Your Highness still…”

“Then she won’t either,” Prince Rui said firmly.

As Su Tianhe watched Shen Qingwan enter the palace gates, he quickly went to greet her, "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

Her face was pale, and her eyes were dark as she glanced at Zhen'er. Zhen'er shook her head unnoticed. "On the way back to the palace, Her Majesty's clothes were scratched by a tree branch and she was frightened. Let's help Her Majesty inside first. You guys go and prepare a tub of hot water so Her Majesty can take a good bath. It's nighttime and the weather is getting cool, so Her Majesty won't catch a cold."

"Yes."

Zhen'er helped Shen Qingwan into the palace, then casually made an excuse to send all the servants away before closing the palace gates. She said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, just now in the Imperial Garden, I saw a dark figure. It flashed by, and I took two steps in its direction, but I didn't see anyone. I'm worried it might be someone from the Emperor's entourage..."

“Regardless of who that shadowy figure was, I suppose no one could have seen me from where I was standing just now. If anyone brings this up, just say what you just said: on my way back to the palace, I suddenly remembered that the Emperor had accompanied me to stroll in the Imperial Garden, and on a whim, I took that path. It was dark and the road was difficult to walk on, so I accidentally tore my clothes and hid behind a tree to fix them,” Shen Qingwan said solemnly.

"Yes, Your Highness." Zhen'er curtsied. "Your Highness, let me serve you a bath. You've been outside for so long, I hope you don't catch a cold. A warm bath would put my mind at ease." Shen Qingwan nodded slowly; she did indeed want to take a bath.

Today's meeting with Prince Rui was hardly a coincidence; to put it bluntly, she took the initiative to seek him out. She wanted to find out the cause of Master Wuchen's death, but she never expected this.

Such a huge secret has been uncovered.

Shen Qingwan sat in the steaming bathtub, her mind in turmoil, unsure of who to believe—Prince Rui or Emperor Yuanwu.
Or perhaps neither of them is trustworthy; she is merely a pawn in their power struggle.

Back then, Emperor Yuanwu forcibly took the original owner from Prince Rui because of the auspicious clouds and phoenixes. His purpose was so obvious. So what about Prince Rui?
Could it be that he also took the initiative to propose marriage because of the auspicious cloud and phoenix back then, but he was one step ahead of Emperor Yuanwu and had a marriage agreement with the original owner in advance?

If that's the case, then what Emperor Yuanwu took away wasn't just Prince Rui's marriage contract, but also his empire.

Shen Qingwan's understanding of Prince Rui mostly came from rumors in the palace. After all, matters concerning the Prince's residence needed to be kept secret in the harem. Now, she could no longer reconcile the idle prince that everyone was talking about with Prince Rui.

She had a vague unease in her heart, always feeling that something big was about to happen.

Late at night, Shen Qingwan did not sleep well. She vaguely dreamed that someone was choking her and forced to drink a large bowl of medicine. She struggled desperately, trying to see who was giving her the medicine, but she woke up from the nightmare.

"Your Highness, are you alright?" Upon hearing this, Zhen'er walked to Shen Qingwan's bedside. Seeing her covered in sweat and looking worried, she said, "Your Highness, did you catch a cold in the Imperial Garden last night? Perhaps I should go and summon Imperial Physician Zhang to take a look at you."

Shen Qingwan slowly shook her head and wiped the sweat from her temples. "I just had a nightmare, it's nothing."

Zhen'er was half-believing and half-doubting. She poured a cup of tea and handed it to Shen Qingwan. She took out a handkerchief from her bosom and carefully wiped the sweat from Shen Qingwan's forehead while she drank the tea. "Your Majesty, although this servant is ignorant, we servants always say one thing when we get together: to survive in the harem, you have to be more open-minded. Since Your Majesty is already the Empress, you should just let bygones be bygones. There's no need to take everything to heart. Although Consort Xian is no longer the only one in the harem, there are many more concubines now. Who knows who the next Consort Xian will be? Your Majesty should focus more on these new people. Since the past has already happened and cannot be changed, it's better to forget it."

After Zhen'er finished speaking, she took the teacup from Shen Qingwan's hands, helped Shen Qingwan tuck the quilt in, and helped her lie down.

Shen Qingwan knew what Zhen'er was talking about. The things she mentioned that had already happened must have been between the original owner and Prince Rui before she entered the palace.

She moved her lips, wanting to see if she could learn anything about the past between the original owner and Prince Rui from Zhen'er. She glanced to the side and found Zhen'er sitting on the edge of the bed with her head down, seemingly asleep.

There have been many things happening in the uterus these days, and Zhen'er has been by her side the whole time. Today it's her turn to work the night shift, and she's really exhausted.

Shen Qingwan took a blanket and draped it over her. She lay on the bed alone, circling her two index fingers repeatedly, her mind replaying the words that Prince Rui had just said.

Now all she can do is wait...

(End of this chapter)