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

Chapter 221 Confidence
Emperor Yuanwu was concerned about his reputation. Although he never mentioned that she and he had been engaged, it was an open secret, though not everyone knew about it.

Prince Rui brought her some tonics while he was away from home, and coincidentally, he personally handed them to her. If this were to get out, who knows how much gossip would follow.

How could Prince Rui be so lacking in propriety?
Shen Qingwan raised her eyes and looked at him with a solemn expression.

The man lowered his eyes, and something flickered in his eyes like a startled swan, something elusive yet compelling, making one's breath catch in their throat.

Shen Qingwan subconsciously took a step back. "I thank Your Highness for your kindness."

"Your Majesty, there's no need to be so polite. I've bought a lot of this Dong'e donkey-hide gelatin. One box each for the Empress Dowager, Consort Jin, Consort Shu, Consort Rou, Consort Zhen, Consort Xian, and all the ladies of the harem. Your Majesty, there's really no need to be so polite."

Shen Qingwan's expression relaxed slightly. She realized that Prince Rui had prepared it not just for her, but for all the concubines in the harem.

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as it's not prepared solely for her and the Empress Dowager, she really doesn't need to worry unnecessarily.

"I heard that Your Majesty has been seriously ill and is suffering from both qi and blood deficiency. Dong'e donkey-hide gelatin is an excellent tonic for qi and blood. If Your Majesty finds it helpful, please send someone to tell Your Majesty that I will bring some back for you next time I go on my travels. It's just a small matter, so Your Majesty doesn't need to worry about it."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"His Majesty is still waiting for me to have dinner together in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. I shall take my leave now." After saying this, Prince Rui bowed.

"My lord, walk slowly."

When Shen Qingwan arrived at the prince's residence, Jiang Wenlan had already been waiting for her at the palace gate for a long time.

"The Queen."

Jiang Wenlan watched Shen Qingwan and her group approach from afar, and happily skipped over, "Your Majesty, I thought you wouldn't be coming today."

Shen Qingwan raised her hand and touched Jiang Wenlan's head. "When have I ever broken my promise to you? Look at you, your nose is all red from the cold. You've been waiting for a long time, haven't you?"

Jiang Wenlan scratched his head awkwardly, "Your Majesty the Empress is coming to have dinner with me, and I am very happy."

"I've made a lot of your favorite dishes. Come inside quickly, don't catch a cold."

Shen Qingwan pulled Jiang Wenlan into the prince's quarters and placed the food they had brought on the food plate one by one.

"Your Majesty, I have heard that Consort Rou has given birth to a son for Father Emperor," Jiang Wenlan asked Shen Qingwan with a solemn expression.

Shen Qingwan nodded. "Yes, the Emperor has already given him a name, Jiang Wenjian, who is also your fourth brother."

Jiang Wenlan lowered her eyes, her mood low, a stark contrast to her excited and thrilled demeanor when she first saw Shen Qingwan. "What's wrong?" Shen Qingwan asked, placing a piece of meat into Jiang Wenlan's bowl.

Jiang Wenlan lowered his head and remained silent, shaking his head quietly.

Shen Qingwan put down her chopsticks and took the chopsticks from Jiang Wenlan's hand, placing them on the table. She put her hands on his shoulders, turned him around so that he was facing her, and then gave a wink to the servants in the hall.

After all the eunuchs and maids serving in the palace had left, Shen Qingwan said slowly, "Now it's just the two of us. If the eldest prince trusts me, could you tell me why he suddenly became unhappy?"

"Your Majesty the Empress." Jiang Wenlan slowly raised her head, her eyes red and swollen. "Father Emperor finally stopped disliking me as much as before, and then we had another son. Consort Rou is so much loved by Father Emperor. Your Majesty the Empress, do you think that after Father Emperor has a fourth brother, he will forget about me altogether?"

Shen Qingwan felt her heart breaking as she listened to his words.

No matter what, Jiang Wenlan was only a seven-year-old child. He had been disliked by Emperor Yuanwu since childhood, which made him so sensitive and suspicious.

Regardless of the reason, as a father, it is ultimately his fault that his child has grown up without receiving any fatherly love.

But who would dare to say he was wrong in front of Emperor Yuanwu?

“How could you think that way, First Prince? Consort Rou is favored by your Imperial Father, but isn’t your birth mother, Consort Li, also favored? If we’re talking about the Emperor’s affection for the concubines in the harem, no one in the entire harem can replace your birth mother’s position in the Emperor’s heart. If you’re saying that the Emperor will favor the Fourth Prince because he loves his birth mother, isn’t that a bit far-fetched?” Shen Qingwan comforted him.

Jiang Wenlan listened to what she said and thought about it seriously for a while. He felt that it made sense, and the solemn expression on his face eased a little. "Will the Fourth Prince grow up by Consort Rou's side? Or will he be sent to another consort's palace like the Third Prince and raised by another consort?"

"Why is the First Prince so concerned about the Fourth Prince?" Shen Qingwan gently touched Jiang Wenlan's cheek. "Did someone say something to the First Prince? Why don't you tell Her Majesty the Empress? If there's anything the First Prince can't understand, see if Her Majesty can help him figure it out."

Jiang Wenlan shook his head. "No one has said anything to me, but I feel that Father Emperor doesn't like me. If a favored concubine were to give birth to a son for Father Emperor, Father Emperor would like me even less."

"Jiang Wenlan, raise your head and look at me." Shen Qingwan's expression became extremely serious.

Jiang Wenlan rarely heard her speak to him in such a tone. In his memory, the Empress's voice was always gentle and patient when she spoke to him.

His eyes flickered, and he looked up, staring intently into Shen Qingwan's eyes.

"Jiang Wenlan, there is something you must always remember: you are the emperor's son, the eldest son of Emperor Yuanwu. No matter how many princes and princesses there are in the harem in the future, you will always be the emperor's most honorable eldest son. No one and nothing can change this. There are three thousand beauties in the harem, but there is only one emperor."

Even though they are all the emperor's concubines, not every concubine can see the emperor whenever she wants. Similarly, originally there was only one prince in the harem, then the second prince was born, then the third prince, and now the fourth prince has been born. Perhaps in the near future, there will be a fifth prince, a sixth prince, a seventh prince...

The number of princes in the harem will increase, but you will always be their elder brother. The prerequisite for others to respect and like you is that you must love and respect yourself. Confidence makes a person shine. When your words and actions exude confidence, this radiance will infect everyone around you, including your imperial father..."

(End of this chapter)