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

Chapter 211 Provocation
"Since Lord Hu of the Imperial Observatory says that the current celestial phenomena are related to the child in Consort Rou's womb, then this matter is related to the inner palace. Your Majesty is busy with countless affairs of state and works hard. Why don't you leave this matter to me? I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly. If Lord Zhou is not academically proficient, he is naturally not qualified to serve as the head of the Imperial Observatory. If he is acting under someone's orders or has other intentions, I will absolutely not tolerate it!"

Emperor Yuanwu was at a loss for how to save face, but the Empress stepped forward and agreed to the matter, which was naturally the best thing. "I am indeed a little tired, so let the Empress handle this matter."

What should the Empress do?

Hu Zhouce, who thought he had escaped a calamity, turned even paler in an instant.

What exactly does this empress mean?
If it weren't for her few words of provocation, how could Emperor Yuanwu have not believed his words?

He could have killed Consort Xian and her unborn child tonight, but now he's in danger of losing his own life.

What exactly is going on?

He doesn't believe it!
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, this humble servant is merely lacking in scholarship. This humble servant was not instructed by anyone. Zhongcui Palace was indeed struck by lightning. Even if it wasn't Mars in conjunction with Antares, Consort Xian's pregnancy is still considered a calamity! Ah! Your Majesty!"

Hu Zhouce knelt on the ground, kowtowing and crying out. His expression was one of agony as he made his final struggle. Perhaps in front of the Emperor, out of consideration for the long time he had served him, the Emperor might take pity on him and let him go. But the Empress…

Hu Zhouce felt uncertain, only that when he looked into the eyes of the Empress, her gaze was terrifyingly cold.

She doesn't seem as fragile as she appears; she's a truly ruthless character at heart.

"Your Majesty, being struck by lightning is the wrath of the gods; this child cannot be kept!"

Hu Zhou made up his mind. Wasn't the Empress going to support Consort Xian?
Regardless of whether he survives today, dragging a prince down with him is ultimately a worthwhile endeavor.

Emperor Yuanwu was annoyed by what he heard. He had just gotten up to leave when Shen Qingwan spoke up first, "Wind and rain are natural phenomena. Since Lord Hu is so capable, why don't you think of a way to delay the thunderstorm? Why not wait until Consort Rou has given birth to her child before letting the Thunder God and Lightning Goddess bring rain?"

"Your Majesty, I... I have no ability to control wind, rain, thunder, and lightning." Hu Zhouce's lips trembled, his mind went blank, and he couldn't understand what the Empress meant by saying this. She was definitely not just chatting with him.

"Since you don't even have the ability to control wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, how can you conclude that the prince is a jinx in just a few words?" Shen Qingwan's deep eyes raised a hint of anger.

"This..." Hu Zhouce looked completely bewildered. He glanced at Emperor Yuanwu, then at Shen Qingwan. "How can these be compared?"

"Oh?" Shen Qingwan drawled, "So in Lord Hu's eyes, a prince's life is less valuable than a downpour?"

Hu Zhouce was completely dumbfounded. "Your Majesty, I would never have meant that."

"Then what do you mean?" Shen Qingwan asked calmly and unhurriedly, as if she were discussing with him how long this rain would last.

These few words alone made Hu Zhouce's heart pound with fear. "Your Majesty, looking at the celestial phenomena, it has been said since ancient times that on the day Your Majesty was born, there were auspicious clouds filling the sky. If it weren't for those auspicious clouds, how could a passing monk have calculated that the auspicious clouds were riding the wind and that she had the destiny of a phoenix? When Your Majesty was born, auspicious clouds were attached to her, which is naturally an auspicious sign. However, when Consort Xian was giving birth, she was struck by five bolts of lightning, which is naturally an ominous sign."

Shen Qingwan's eyes flickered; she hadn't expected Hu Zhouce to bring up the matter of riding the wind and auspicious clouds at this moment.

"Being struck by lightning, if it's fate, might not be a good thing, but if it's man-made..." Shen Qingwan said, turning around and kneeling on the ground. "Your Majesty, just as we entered Zhongcui Palace, a bolt of lightning struck the roof. With the rain so heavy, it was impossible for it to catch fire, but we still smelled a strong burning odor. I'm sure Your Majesty, have someone check the roof of Zhongcui Palace now to see if someone deliberately placed something there to attract the lightning." Emperor Yuanwu stared at Shen Qingwan intently for a while before waving his hand at Wu Jixiang.

Wu Jixiang, accompanied by several guards, left the main hall of Zhongcui Palace. In no time, they found several metallic objects on the roof of Zhongcui Palace, one of which had a long iron rod sticking out from it.

Normally, a piece of metal of this size placed on the roof would go unnoticed, but this iron rod would be easily spotted. However, today's heavy rain blurred the view, which is why the iron rod erected on the roof of Zhongcui Palace went unnoticed.

What a vicious trick!
They actually know how to use something like this to attract lightning.

Emperor Yuanwu's eyes were bloodshot with rage. He picked up one of the metal blocks and smashed it directly onto Hu Zhouce, who was kneeling on the ground.

A patch of bright red blood instantly spread around Hu Zhouce's side. He grimaced in pain and rolled on the ground. "Wu Jixiang, take this man away and interrogate him properly! To plot against a prince and frame a concubine, what audacity!"

Shen Qingwan breathed a long sigh of relief. Since Emperor Yuanwu wanted to conduct the trial personally, the results would be forthcoming soon.

Actually, this matter is not difficult to investigate at all.

The person who wants to kill Consort Rou's unborn child must be someone whose child threatens their interests.

Emperor Yuanwu personally conducted the trial, which allowed her to finally have some peace and quiet.

As Shen Qingwan stood up from the ground, a baby's cry came from the direction of Consort Rou's palace. The cry was loud and strong. The midwife came out carrying the child and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, Consort Rou has successfully given birth to a prince."

Prince?

He really is a prince!
Emperor Yuanwu's expression relaxed for a moment as he took the child from the midwife's arms. "I have a fourth prince now. The entire Zhongcui Palace will be rewarded with a year's worth of monthly allowances. Consort Rou has worked hard to give birth to my imperial heir, so she is rewarded with 100 taels of gold, 200 taels of silver, 40 bolts of fabric for clothing and inner garments, and a pair of jade ruyi scepters..."

Emperor Yuanwu bestowed many gifts upon Consort Rou, which seemed like a generous reward, but he did not promote her rank.

Shen Qingwan looked up at Emperor Yuanwu. His eyes were filled with a rare fatherly love as he played with the child in his arms. What he was thinking was anyone's guess.

"Your Majesty, the little prince has just been born. Why don't we have the wet nurse take him out to breastfeed?" the midwife suggested.

Emperor Yuanwu nodded repeatedly, somewhat reluctantly handing the child to the wet nurse, "Then I'll go in and see Consort Rou."

The palace was still filled with a strong smell of blood. Consort Rou's childbirth had not gone smoothly, and she was lying on the bed with her eyes closed, her face pale. Her messy hair was already soaked with sweat.

Hearing Emperor Yuanwu enter, he barely opened his eyes: "Your Majesty..."

(End of this chapter)