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

Chapter 229 Mistakenly Favored and Becomes Arrogant
When the wooden boat reached the center of the lake, the temperature was noticeably lower than on the shore. Fortunately, the preparations were complete. Shen Qingwan had a stove set up on the bed and used the roses, black tea, and milk she had brought to brew a full pot of milk tea. She also roasted peanuts, longans, and other nuts on the stove, filling the air with their aroma. The nuts roasting on the stove made a crackling sound, which added a unique charm to the experience.

Sipping milk tea and eating piping hot roasted longan reminded her of a simple life, quietly counting the passing years, finding joy in the simple pleasures of life.

If people in ancient times could live comfortably, why can't she?
-
Consort Xian has been so preoccupied with the matter of the palace maids leaving the palace that she has lost her appetite and has been unable to eat or drink these days.

When she went to Kunning Palace to pay her respects this morning, she thought she could just brush it off in front of the Empress and let it go. But she didn't expect that Shen Qingwan, that bitch, would not only shut her down with a few words, but also almost make her lose face.

What does it mean that some palace maids wanted to leave the palace less, while others wanted to leave more?

It's all because she's the one who stirs up trouble and creates so much chaos in the harem.

She knew perfectly well what the palace maids were gossiping about behind her back. If the Empress hadn't said those things today, she would have been released without a second thought. But now, it made it seem as if she had mistreated her in Jingyang Palace all along.

Shen Qingwan shouldn't think that just because she's the Empress, she can rule the harem with absolute power. She must never forget that in the harem, besides her as Empress, there are also the Emperor and the Empress Dowager above her.

"Eunuch Jixiang, please inform him that I wish to request an audience with the Emperor," Consort Xian said politely, standing at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

“Your Highness, it’s not that I don’t want to inform him, but His Majesty is inside discussing state affairs with several ministers and has instructed me not to disturb him.” Wu Jixiang looked troubled. “I know that Your Highness’s health has not been very good since giving birth to the Third Prince. How about I have someone bring Your Highness a stool so you can sit and wait a while?”

and many more?

Wait a little longer!?

Consort Xian's eyes immediately turned cold and sharp: "Eunuch Jixiang, I have been waiting outside for more than an hour. How much longer am I going to have to wait? If you don't want to help me announce my arrival, you might as well just say so. There's no need to make me wait here in vain."

“Your Majesty, you have truly wronged this servant. How could this servant dare to deliberately fail to inform Your Majesty? His Majesty did indeed give instructions not to be disturbed.” After Wu Jixiang finished speaking, he glanced at the eunuch behind him. The young eunuch, quick-witted and nimble, brought over a stool from somewhere. “Your Majesty, please calm down. Please sit here and wait a while. When the ministers come out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, this servant will be the first to inform Your Majesty.”

Consort Xian snorted and sat down on the stool in front of her. However, before she could even settle down, the door of the Hall of Mental Cultivation opened from the inside.

Emperor Yuanwu walked out, followed closely by several court officials.

Everyone seemed surprised to see Consort Xian sitting at the door the moment the door was opened.

The ministers were taken aback for a moment, then bowed and greeted, "Greetings, Consort Xian."

Consort Xian also stood up awkwardly from the stool. She herself did not know what she was feeling guilty about, and at this moment, she did not dare to look Emperor Yuanwu in the eye.

She hadn't seen Emperor Yuanwu this close in a long time. In the past, let alone this close, Emperor Yuanwu would have spent every single day in her palace.

As luck would have it, Emperor Yuanwu didn't come out earlier or later, but just as she sat down, he appeared.

If she had just been sitting and waiting since she arrived, she wouldn't have felt like she was losing out. But she had been standing there for so long, and just as she sat down, Emperor Yuanwu came out, as if he was deliberately going against her.

"Your Majesty," Consort Xian said stiffly. Emperor Yuanwu turned to the ministers behind him and said a few more words before they withdrew one by one.

As he withdrew his gaze, he first swept it over the stool where Consort Xian had just been sitting before finally fixing it on her face.

"Consort Xian, is there something important you need to discuss with me at this hour?" Emperor Yuanwu stood still, looking at her intently.

Consort Xian felt a chill run down her spine when Emperor Yuanwu looked at her. She even forgot why she had waited for so long at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. She just wanted to explain why she was sitting here instead of standing there.

"Your Majesty, when I arrived at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, I stood and waited. The wait was indeed quite long, and my body couldn't take it anymore, so I found a stool to sit down. Fortunately, Eunuch Jixiang was considerate." For some reason, whether it was because Emperor Yuanwu's face was too gloomy or because she herself felt guilty, Consort Xian's voice trembled at the end of her words.

But she wasn't afraid of Emperor Yuanwu before!

Consort Xian cautiously glanced at Emperor Yuanwu, afraid that he might not understand her meaning, and then explained, "When I went to the Empress's palace last time, I think I accidentally knelt down on the charcoal fire under the floor and burned my knee. It was quite serious. The imperial physician said that kneeling in a warm place for a long time can also cause burns. It's not only when you are burned that you get burned."

Consort Xian stammered, and Emperor Yuanwu frowned deeply as he listened. "Consort Xian, you've been waiting at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation for so long. Are you here to complain to me? If I remember correctly, it's been a long time since you last visited the Empress's palace. Why are you bringing this up now?"

“Your Majesty,” Consort Xian called out, then continued, “Your Majesty has misunderstood me. That’s not what I meant. I was just afraid that Your Majesty would think that I was being arrogant because of your favor, and that I couldn’t wait outside, so I insisted on sitting down to wait.”

Arrogance stemming from favor.

When Consort Xian uttered those four words, Wu Jixiang, who had been keeping his head down, glanced at the two of them out of the corner of his eye.

How could she have the nerve to say those four words?

To be arrogant because of favor, one must first have the emperor's favor. Consort Xian hasn't seen the emperor for months, let alone received any favor. At best, she's just a...

Arrogance stemming from a lack of favor?

Arrogance born of undeserved favor?

They mistakenly believe they are still loved and spoil themselves!

Emperor Yuanwu listened for a long time but couldn't figure it out. He assumed that Yuanwu was just making up an excuse to see him, just like before.

I was already annoyed enough by listening to several ministers talk about various matters of the court all morning, but now I was even more annoyed by Consort Xian's incoherent rambling.

Originally intending to visit the Fourth Prince at Zhongcui Palace and have lunch there, Emperor Yuanwu abruptly stopped in his tracks as Consort Xian followed behind, nagging him. "What do you want from me?" he demanded.

(End of this chapter)