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

Chapter 199 Confessed
Zhen'er's temples throbbed from her crying. When she heard the Empress summoning her, she felt as if she had been relieved and ran into the main hall of Kunning Palace in a flash.

Shen Qingwan put down her teacup when she saw her run in. "How's the interrogation going?"

Zhen'er shook her head and sighed, "There are no results yet."

There is no way to continue like this.

It's so cold these days, we can't keep all the servants of Jinyang Palace standing in this courtyard all the time. First, if they get frostbite, it won't be good if word gets out. Second, Jingyang Palace can't be left unattended forever.

Shen Qingwan lowered her eyes and thought seriously for a while, then waved to Zhen'er, "What should we do!"

"Your Majesty." Zhen'er sighed, but a glimmer of light flashed in her eyes.

Not long after Zhen'er left, a pitiful cry came from the interrogation room, followed by two palace maids being dragged out covered in blood.

"Her Majesty the Empress doesn't have time to waste here with us. If she asks you anything, just answer properly. After you've answered, you can go back to your normal lives. If you answer correctly and get to the point, you won't be punished; you'll even receive a reward. Since the Emperor has ordered Her Majesty to investigate this matter thoroughly, then Her Majesty must give the Emperor an explanation. If you can't answer, don't blame the Kunning Palace for its merciless whip." Zhen'er pointed to the two blood-covered palace maids being dragged away. "See? If you don't speak properly, this is what will happen to you. The palace has no shortage of servants. It's getting dark; hurry up."

After Zhen'er finished speaking, she turned and went into the interrogation room, where five more servants were taken in.

The servants, who had just been indifferent and full of complaints while standing in the courtyard, now looked at each other in bewilderment.

"What exactly does Your Majesty want to interrogate? In our harem, isn't it always the case that if a master punishes an innocent palace maid, he will also be punished by Your Majesty?"

"When the master punishes an innocent palace maid, he is referring to the Empress punishing the concubines in the palace. Now, the Empress herself ordered the beating, so the entire harem must listen to the Empress. Apart from the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, who dares to punish the Empress? Besides, didn't Aunt Zhen'er just say that the Emperor ordered the Empress to investigate this matter thoroughly?"

"What exactly happened? When Su brought us here from Jingyang Palace, didn't he say we were just here for questioning? Why are they using torture?"

"Who were those two people dragged away from our palace? I didn't recognize them at all?"

"They were beaten so badly, their faces were all smashed. They must be one of the people who were taken in earlier."

"Judging from that, even if he survives, he'll probably be crippled."

"The Empress looks so gentle and kind, I never expected her to be such a ruthless character, capable of such cruelty?"

"The Empress is gentle? You've been in the palace for so many years, how can you still be so blind and confused? If the Empress were truly gentle and easily bullied, how could she have fought with Consort Xian for so many years? Consort Xian went from being a concubine to a lower-ranking concubine, and even though she gave birth to a prince, she lost her power to assist in managing the six palaces. The Empress has done so many things that have annoyed the Emperor, yet her position as Empress has remained secure. Now, she not only controls the entire harem, but she has also replaced the concubines who assist in managing the six palaces with those she has a close relationship with. Although the Emperor has not yet consummated his marriage with the Empress, he visits Kunning Palace far more often than Jingyang Palace. Forget about consummating the marriage, I'm afraid a legitimate son is on the way." "Don't exaggerate like this. So, what are we supposed to say when we go in?"

"What else can we say? Of course, we should say the truth. A wise person knows when to yield. Consort Xian's rank was demoted by Her Majesty the Empress. So many days have passed, and not only has the Emperor not said a word in favor of Consort Xian, but he also came to Kunning Palace to dine with Her Majesty the Empress at lunchtime. What does this mean? It means that the Emperor approves of Her Majesty the Empress demoting Consort Xian's rank!"

"Indeed, I heard from the people in Cining Palace the other day that when Her Majesty the Empress visited Her Majesty the Empress Dowager a few days ago, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager was very happy and did not reprimand her at all. On the contrary, she kept praising her for managing the harem so well and would reward her with good things from time to time."

"I heard that back when the Emperor was still a prince, his marriage to the Empress was arranged by the Empress Dowager after she pleaded with the late Emperor. It seems that the Empress's real backer is not the Emperor, but the Empress Dowager."

"So, we are just servants. Since there is no way out for us to follow Consort Xian, we naturally have to find another way out. It is better to live a peaceful life in the harem, wait until we reach the age of leaving the palace, and receive a reward, than to die in this deep palace."

"Death is nothing, what's worse is being half-dead and thrown into a mass grave to be fed to the dogs..."

As they were talking, Zhen'er came out of the interrogation room again. "Alright, you guys stop chatting and come inside with me."

After Zhen'er finished speaking, she turned around and took two steps, then suddenly stopped and turned back to the crowd, saying, "Everyone, there's no need to be too anxious. Some people have already confessed. We'll let you go back after we finish questioning the rest. But I really don't understand those who just confessed. Are they just saying things because they're afraid, or are they telling the truth? It's getting late, and Eunuch Su and I are tired. I know you've been standing here waiting for almost three hours and you're getting impatient. I'll keep the people whose names I've written down for further questioning. The rest of you can go back."

Everyone was in an uproar.

"What? Someone's been recruited? Who was recruited? No way, we agreed before we came that no one would say anything, how could someone have already..."

"Is this your first day in the palace? You actually believe something like this? You're so naive. And you're not telling anyone? Has Consort Xian treated you well? What does she have that's worth risking your life for?"

"Consort Xian is also very kind to us servants. When Consort Xian was favored by the Emperor, we servants received a constant stream of rewards. We can't be ungrateful, can we? Although the Emperor doesn't like Consort Xian as much as before, the rewards from Consort Xian have naturally decreased."

"Ha, you really are oblivious to everything else, only thinking about Jingyang Palace. Do you know what kind of life the people who work in Kunning Palace lead every day? The servants in Kunning Palace can sleep in their rooms at night. Not only can they stay in their rooms, but Her Majesty the Empress also prepares thick quilts for them. I heard that when it's cold, Her Majesty will also give them hot water bottles to put in their quilts to keep warm."

"What? Really? There's such a thing?" The man's eyes widened in shock.

"Look at you, so naive! Not only that, Her Majesty the Empress often cooks for the people in the palace. And when winter came, she even used her private treasury to give everyone in the palace an extra month's salary, saying it was to cover the cost of charcoal for their families' heating..."

(End of this chapter)