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

Chapter 190 Timid and Shrugging
There was a persistent rumor in the palace that Emperor Yuanwu disliked the Empress, and that even when he visited her palace, it was always at the behest of the Empress Dowager.

In retrospect, the rumors seem to be untrue.

Watching Emperor Yuanwu and Shen Qingwan, one patiently waiting with a bowl in hand, and the other serving soup to the other.

They're not just not loving enough; they look more like an ordinary couple from an ordinary family.

Which concubine in the harem wasn't extremely careful when serving Emperor Yuanwu his meals?

But at this moment, Pi Na Pian saw a different scene in the harem.

Consort Jin was stunned for a while before she spoke, "I have come at an inopportune time and have disturbed the Emperor and Empress's meal."

"It's alright. Has Consort Jin had lunch yet? If not, why don't you sit down and have a bite with me? I'll have the kitchen prepare another dish." Shen Qingwan put down her chopsticks and greeted her warmly.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I had breakfast a little late and I'm not hungry yet." Consort Jin raised her eyes to look at Shen Qingwan, and in that instant, she glanced at Emperor Yuanwu sitting opposite Shen Qingwan out of the corner of her eye.

He was looking down, drinking spoonful after spoonful of the soup that Shen Qingwan had just served him.

Consort Jin was quite curious; what kind of soup was it, and was it really that delicious?

"Is there something you need, Consort Jin, to come at this hour?" Shen Qingwan asked.

"Your Majesty, Consort Wen has already entered the palace today. I have just helped her settle in. However, when Consort Wen came, she brought some food from the northern desert, saying that it was for the hostage. She originally wanted to go see the hostage herself, but I thought that Chang Le Palace was still heavily guarded, so I asked her to rest for a few days before going. Consort Wen said that the food she brought was all fresh, and she was afraid that it would spoil if left for a few more days, so she asked me to send the food to the hostage first. I don't know if this is in accordance with the rules of the palace, so I came here specifically to ask Your Majesty's opinion."

Send something to the proton.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuanwu and Shen Qingwan couldn't help but exchange a glance.

If you really say Cao Cao, Cao Cao will be there.

We were just discussing whether the hostage and the northern desert were exchanging messages, but unexpectedly, Consort Wen wanted to send something over as soon as she entered the palace.

"Since it was brought to the hostage by Consort Wen, have someone check it carefully to see if anything is smuggled in, register it, and send it in," Shen Qingwan instructed. "It would be best to have Physician Zhang from the Imperial Hospital check it as well to be on the safe side."

Physician Zhang...

When Consort Jin heard that the matter would alarm the Imperial Hospital, her expression changed drastically.

Previously, I just thought there were many dirty things happening in the deep palace. But Consort Wen is the hostage's aunt. Regardless of whether she is a particularly close aunt, she is still his elder. Putting aside the grudges of the previous generation, now that the two of them have come to this high-walled palace, Consort Wen will probably never have the chance to return to the northern desert in this lifetime. Even if the hostage has the opportunity to walk out of this high-walled palace in the future, he will probably lose his life when the two countries are at war. What use would it be if he walked out?
Although she didn't quite understand Shen Qingwan's meaning, Shen Qingwan's words were a sharp reminder to her. Regardless of whether the things Consort Wen sent to the hostage were poisoned or not, it was always better to be cautious.

Even if something were to happen to the hostage in the future, it would definitely not be in her hands.

Her rise to the rank of imperial concubine felt like a dream. Now, with the power to manage the six palaces, she discovered that there were too many unimaginable things in this deep palace.

However, it seems that the Empress has never managed the inner palace before. How did she manage to think so thoroughly about everything?

Seeing Consort Jin's nervous expression, Shen Qingwan smiled and said, "Consort Jin, there's no need to be nervous. I just heard you say that Consort Wen said the things she brought over have been sitting for a while and she's worried they might spoil if left out too long. If the hostage gets sick, it's better to have the imperial physician check on him beforehand."

Upon hearing the Empress's words, Consort Jin breathed a long sigh of relief. "I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Your Majesty. I will go and do it now."

After Consort Jin left Kunning Palace, Emperor Yuanwu had almost finished eating. He took the tea from Wu Jixiang to rinse his mouth and then said leisurely, "The Empress really cares about the hostage's health. She knows that the hostage is weak and cannot eat unclean things. Such a small matter has to alarm Imperial Physician Zhang."

Shen Qingwan was speechless for a moment when she heard Emperor Yuanwu's sarcastic words. "Your Majesty clearly knows what I mean, so why say such things? Didn't you see just now? When Consort Jin heard that this matter would alarm the Imperial Hospital, her face turned pale with fright. If I hadn't said a few words to comfort her, I was afraid I would have really scared her."

"Oh?" Emperor Yuanwu said in a drawn-out tone, "So it turns out I misunderstood the Empress. The Empress was not concerned about the hostage, but rather felt sorry for Consort Jin."

Shen Qingwan: ...

What Emperor Yuanwu said sounded a bit strange, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why.

"Doesn't Your Majesty think Consort Jin is pitiful?" Shen Qingwan tilted her head and asked in return, "She is well-behaved and lives cautiously in the palace every day."

"Careful?" Emperor Yuanwu repeated her words, seemingly unable to understand the meaning of those four words from Shen Qingwan. "Now that she is a concubine, and you have promoted her to manage the power of the six palaces, given her qualifications, the glory she has achieved is something many people wouldn't even dare to dream of. What could she possibly be dissatisfied with?"

"Consort Jin has never said anything dissatisfying. The reason she is so cautious is that although she is already a consort, she is not favored by the emperor, and her maternal family can't help her at all. Looking at her timid and hesitant manner, it is not hard to imagine what kind of life she has lived in the palace all these years. She probably doesn't even dare to breathe loudly."

Emperor Yuanwu looked at Shen Qingwan intently, "Such things happen in the harem?"

"The emperor favors whichever concubine he likes, and naturally he will give her more attention. How could the concubines who receive more favor possibly understand the hardships of the concubines who are not favored in the harem? Those concubines who have received favor wish they could keep the emperor in their palaces every day, because they know better than anyone else that in this harem, favor is more important than anything else. Even if she is just a lowly concubine, if the emperor stays in her palace every night, she probably won't even lower her head if she sees those concubines who are not favored. That's why there has always been a saying that if the emperor can distribute his favor evenly in the harem, the court will be more stable."

Shen Qingwan spoke in a calm and unhurried tone, revealing no emotion. If these words had come from any of the concubines in the harem, he would have thought that the concubine was trying to win his favor. But the fact that these words came from the Empress's mouth made him feel awe.

(End of this chapter)