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

Chapter 191 Turn over the brand

He then shook his head. "Is such a thing really true? The palace is different. I don't believe that a mere concubine would dare to be disrespectful to a noble person in the palace."

Shen Qingwan had only said it casually, never expecting Emperor Yuanwu to believe her. "Now that there are more and more concubines in the palace, Your Majesty can just find someone of a lower rank and try it out to see if it's as I said. Your Majesty, I am already the Empress. No matter who is promoted or demoted, favored or unfavored, the concubines in the harem will not threaten my position. Although Consort Shu and a few others are assisting in the affairs of the harem, they are only assistants. Ultimately, the Phoenix Seal is still in my hands. Your Majesty doesn't need to be so sensitive every time you talk to me about the concubines in the harem. If Your Majesty doesn't like to hear about these things, I won't say anything more. I can also turn a blind eye to the evil practices in the harem."

Emperor Yuanwu was both amused and exasperated, especially when he saw Shen Qingwan's resentful eyes. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. Usually in the harem, it was the concubines who flattered him and went along with him. They had never seen Shen Qingwan like this before. If she didn't like something, she would lecture him, and he actually listened without getting angry.

"Why does Your Majesty need to say such angry words? How about I make a bet with you? If there is anyone in the harem who is arrogant because of the Emperor's favor, I will absolutely not tolerate such a person who violates the palace rules."

Emperor Yuanwu spoke with both seriousness and earnestness.

Shen Qingwan listened, smiled and remained silent. Such things had happened in the palace before. Consort Xian was the best example. If it weren't for Emperor Yuanwu's repeated indulgence, how could the original owner have been bullied so badly by her? The original owner was the Empress, while she was just a concubine. Consort Xian could still easily step on the original owner's head and wantonly trample on her dignity.

The initiator.

"What's the stake?" Shen Qingwan asked curiously.

"The bet is up to the Empress." Emperor Yuanwu leaned back in his chair, looking much gentler now that he had eaten and drunk his fill.

Indeed, when a person is starving, all they can think about is how to fill their stomach. But once they are full, their thoughts wander, like Emperor Yuanwu at this moment...

Is it really appropriate for him to bet with his legal wife about his concubines?

"If I win, the Emperor will reward me with that set of blue and white porcelain teacups that he has been keeping in the storeroom," Shen Qingwan said calmly.

She had long coveted that tea set, but because Emperor Yuanwu liked it, she hadn't dared to ask for it. She just happened to take this opportunity to persuade Emperor Yuanwu to part with it.

"Just this?" Emperor Yuanwu seemed quite surprised that Shen Qingwan was the first to make a bet with him, and only asked for a set of teacups. "Your Majesty probably thought you were going to lose, so you just said it offhand. There are plenty of blue and white porcelain teacups in the storeroom. If Your Majesty likes them, I will have them sent to Kunning Palace later."

“No, I want the pair of blue and white porcelain bowls with mandarin ducks and lotus flowers that were presented as tribute when the Emperor ascended the throne,” Shen Qingwan said leisurely. “If the Emperor is someone we can’t afford to offend, then it’s better not to gamble.”

Emperor Yuanwu:...

He was actually quite reluctant to part with it and wanted to find an excuse to get Shen Qingwan to change something.

But since the conversation had progressed to this point, it would seem petty for him not to agree. Besides, Emperor Yuanwu had never believed that what Shen Qingwan had just said was true. "Alright, I agree. If the Empress loses, how about making me a set of nightgowns?"

Pajamas?

Shen Qingwan frowned slightly. "Why would His Majesty want this?"

After all, there were so many concubines in the harem. If each of them had a set made and sent to Emperor Yuanwu, he would probably be gone before he could wear them. Many of the nightgowns might not have even been worn yet. Moreover, those skilled female craftswomen made more than one set for him.

"Is the Empress unable to afford to gamble?" Emperor Yuanwu said sullenly. Although he had many nightgowns, none of them were made by the Empress.

Men have a desire to conquer; the more unattainable something is, the more they want it. Often, what is easily obtained is not cherished, let alone an emperor who can control everything with one hand.

He could ignore any woman in the harem at will, but he could not accept that there were women in the harem who did not want to please him.

At this moment, it's just like Shen Qingwan right in front of me.

He felt that he could see through Shen Qingwan more and more. If she cared about him, it seemed that their relationship was always bound by something. If she didn't care about him, she went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to invite him after only a few days apart.
Shen Qingwan's mind was filled with the pair of incredibly beautiful blue and white famille rose mandarin duck and lotus-shaped bowls, and she didn't think she would lose in this matter at all, so she readily agreed.

That very evening, Emperor Yuanwu chose Consort Ruan for his concubine.

"what?"

When Wang Gui, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, came to Jingyang Palace to deliver the message, Ruan Chang was completely stunned.

She was both surprised and delighted, tears welling up in her eyes. "Eunuch Wang, are you sure the Emperor chose me? There's no mistake?"

"Oh dear, since I've come in person, how could it be wrong? Your Highness, please hurry and prepare. The Emperor will be here after finishing his dinner at the Empress Dowager's. Please don't keep him waiting," Wang Gui said with a smile.

Ruan Changzai blushed with embarrassment and hurriedly told the maid behind him to give her a reward.

Wang Gui weighed the money pouch in his hand, his smile stiffening slightly. He thought that she was just a lowly concubine who had entered the palace but was not favored, so her spending could not compare with that of the concubines and consorts. He bowed and said, "Then Your Highness, please make your preparations. I will take my leave now."

"Thank you, sir. I'm sorry to have troubled you to make this trip to see Eunuch Wang off."

After Wang Gui left, Ruan Changzai patted his chest several times with his hands before calming his excited emotions.

After the fight with Consort Xian that day, and the punishment from the Empress, she thought she would never see the Emperor again in her life. But she didn't expect that the Emperor would give her such favor so quickly. Could it be that the Emperor also felt that Consort Xian was at fault for what happened last time, but he couldn't punish her because she was the legitimate daughter of the General's Mansion, so he could only give her favor as compensation?
Ruan Changzai thought about it more and more and found it to be true. Overjoyed, she had a large vat of water filled to the brim. Without even having dinner, she went to bathe and change.

Consort Xian, who also lived in Jingyang Palace, saw the busy figures of Consort Ruan's maids and came out of her own palace at the same time.

Consort Wen stood in the hall and glanced out into the distance. "What's going on?"

"Replying to Your Excellency, it was Eunuch Wang from the Imperial Household Department who just came over. He said that he had chosen Consort Ruan for this evening, and her servants are currently preparing bathwater for her."

The person who answered was a personal maid chosen by the Imperial Household Department for Consort Wen. Although Consort Wen had brought some maids with her when she came, considering that Consort Wen had just entered the palace and had come from afar in the northern desert, they specially found Cui'er, who had been serving in the palace for some time, to serve her...

(End of this chapter)