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

Chapter 231 Blur
Queen?

Why is she here?
Upon hearing those two words, Consort Xian's hand, which was holding Emperor Yuanwu's arm, paused heavily.

"What is the Empress doing here?" Emperor Yuanwu was equally puzzled.

"Your Majesty, this morning, Her Majesty the Empress went to Cining Palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager. Her Majesty the Empress had already had breakfast at Kunning Palace. When she arrived at Kunning Palace, the Empress Dowager was having breakfast, so Her Majesty the Empress accompanied her for another breakfast. When Her Majesty the Empress came out of Cining Palace, she said she wanted to take a walk in the Imperial Garden to digest her food. She saw that the ice on the lake had melted, so on a whim, she took a boat to the center of the lake to have tea."

"Drinking tea?" Emperor Yuanwu asked, puzzled.

"Your Majesty, it is tea. Just now, Her Majesty the Empress asked Eunuch Su to fetch a lot of things from Kunning Palace, saying that she wanted to cook something, but this servant does not know."

Emperor Yuanwu's solemn expression turned into a relieved smile, as if a snowstorm had unexpectedly encountered spring flowers blooming and all things reviving.

This laugh caused the color to visibly drain from Consort Xian's face, leaving her pale. She moved her lips, but before she could speak, her arms were suddenly empty.

Emperor Yuanwu, unaware of what had happened, had already pulled his hand away from her embrace and started walking towards the lake.

"Your Majesty." Consort Xian glared fiercely at the eunuch who had just spoken, and quickly caught up with him. "Where is Your Majesty going? Didn't you just say that you haven't had lunch yet? How about I ask the Imperial Kitchen to make the bird's nest and duck soup that you said you liked last time?"

Emperor Yuanwu seemed not to hear her words and continued walking towards the lake. Wu Jixiang, who was following behind him, stopped with a troubled expression. "Consort Xian, I reckon His Majesty will be having lunch with the Empress soon. Perhaps you should return first."

Even if Wu Jixiang didn't say it aloud, Consort Xian knew in her heart, but she just wouldn't give up, because she was different from the other concubines who entered the palace through the selection process and those who entered the palace later.

She witnessed firsthand Emperor Yuanwu's disdain for the Empress, and she also heard him say that if it weren't for the Empress Dowager, he would never want to see Shen Qingwan in his life.

But why...

In the blink of an eye, Emperor Yuanwu heard someone say that she was drinking tea in the middle of the lake on a boat, and he insisted on chasing after her.

How can a person change so easily?

In the instant that Consort Xian was lost in thought, Emperor Yuanwu had already boarded another small boat on the lake and headed towards the boat in the center of the lake.

When she watched Emperor Yuanwu board the wooden boat that Shen Qingwan was sitting on, she felt as if her soul had been drained away, leaving her limp and powerless.

"Your Majesty, are you alright?"

Fortunately, Xia Mei, who was beside her, reached out and supported her; otherwise, she might have really fallen to the ground.

Did she lose?

Did she really lose?

She lost to the empress, whom she once looked down upon the most—an arrogant, brainless woman.

“Your Majesty, His Majesty may have something to discuss with the Empress. Perhaps we should return to the palace first. This matter cannot be rushed. We can speak with His Majesty after he has finished his business. Your Majesty, you have been standing all morning, and the injury to your leg has not fully healed…”

As Emperor Yuanwu sat down next to Shen Qingwan, the longans on the stove were roasted to a certain degree and made a "pop" sound as the shells burst open from the middle, and the juice that overflowed from the fruit dripped onto the charcoal with a "sizzle," filling the entire boat with the fragrance of fruit tea.

"Why has the Emperor come?" Shen Qingwan paused in her tea-making and looked up at Emperor Yuanwu.

"Judging from the Empress's words, it seems that I have spoiled her enjoyment?" Emperor Yuanwu chuckled. "Then I will leave."

Although it was said in jest, Emperor Yuanwu clearly felt an indescribable sense of loss when he said he was leaving.

Because he knew in his heart that no matter which concubine in the harem he said these words to, they would all try to coax him to stay. But he was not sure about the Empress. If he said he wanted to leave now, the Empress might really let him go.

"I wouldn't dare," Shen Qingwan pouted. "This ship belongs to the Emperor. I borrowed it without His permission, so how could I dare to kick the owner off the ship?"

Emperor Yuanwu:...

"This ship doesn't belong to me." Shen Qingwan: ? ? ?

Are there still things in the palace that didn't belong to Emperor Yuanwu?

It's not his?

It couldn't be the Empress Dowager, could it?

"This ship belongs to Prince Rui."

Shen Qingwan: ...

If it weren't for her strong willpower, she would have almost choked to death on her own saliva!
"Does the Empress not know?" Emperor Yuanwu frowned slightly, asking in confusion.

Shen Qingwan shook her head blankly.

What did Emperor Yuanwu mean by asking that question?
This ship belongs to Prince Rui, so why does she have to know?

Wasn't it Prince Rui who broke up the engagement between him and the original owner of the body?
If it weren't for him forcing the original owner of this body to marry him, she might have married Prince Rui and wouldn't have died.

Is it meaningful to keep testing the waters like this?

However, if this ship belongs to Prince Rui, then something seems to make sense.

Last time, when Zhen'er braved the rain to go to the Imperial Hospital to fetch a physician for her, she was kidnapped by two eunuchs and taken to the Imperial Garden. It was Prince Rui who came to her rescue.

With such heavy rain, it's unlikely that Prince Rui would happen to be passing by, and he certainly wouldn't be strolling alone in the Imperial Garden in the middle of the night.

The only possibility is that Prince Rui happened to be resting on this ship that night.

Shen Qingwan was very dissatisfied, but her smile remained as gentle as ever. "Why should I know?"

"Isn't this ship a return gift from Prince Rui to us when we got married?" Emperor Yuanwu turned his head, looking puzzled.

Shen Qingwan: ...

Is this happening?
Why couldn't she find this passage in the original owner's memories?

Shen Qingwan discovered that it seemed that in the original owner's memories, all the memories related to Prince Rui either did not exist or were vague.

Why is it?
Since she inherited the original owner's body, she should inherit everything from the original owner's past.

But strangely enough, among all of the original owner's past, only the memories of Prince Rui were vague.

Could it be that the original owner of this body was also deeply in love with Prince Rui?
When emotions run deepest, they are forgotten?

Or perhaps the original owner's death wasn't due to a cold at all, but rather because someone drugged her?

Don't ancient books also record some strange and evil arts?
After Emperor Yuanwu finished speaking, he waited for a while but didn't see any reaction from Shen Qingwan. He turned his head and saw that she was lost in thought, so he reached out and patted her arm. "What is the Empress thinking about?"

"No, it's nothing." Shen Qingwan suddenly came to her senses, her face still bearing her usual gentle smile. "I just feel like I'm too forgetful. I can't even remember something so important. It's really awful."

Emperor Yuanwu's face darkened. "What are you saying, Empress? It's nothing serious. Just forget about it."

There was a pause.

His face was beaming with joy, and he seemed to be in a very good mood...

(End of this chapter)