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

Chapter 234 In dire straits
That look made Shen Qingwan very uneasy; the thing she feared most was about to happen.

Zhen'er glanced at her, her face full of worry, and asked, "Your Majesty, what are you worried about? Do you think the Emperor still cares about Consort Xian?"

Consort Xian?

Even if Emperor Yuanwu was wary of her father's military power, she was still the woman he had favored for so many years. Since she had personally gone to see him and made her request, even if Emperor Yuanwu was just going through the motions, he still had to maintain appearances so that the other concubines in the harem wouldn't think that the emperor's affections were too cold.

However, whether she still harbors feelings for Consort Xian remains unknown.

How much sincerity does an emperor truly possess? Who can know?

"The Emperor ultimately said nothing." Shen Qingwan's gaze was indifferent.

“But since His Majesty has brought it up, Your Highness must be careful. If His Majesty suddenly remembers it one day and blames Your Highness for this, that would be bad.” Zhen’er said solemnly.

Shen Qingwan nodded calmly, "I know what I'm doing."

There was a pause.

She continued, "Let's go back to the palace first."

Shen Qingwan didn't care whether Emperor Yuanwu still had feelings for Consort Xian. Judging from the current situation, it was unlikely that Consort Xian would regain favor. Even if Emperor Yuanwu still had feelings for Consort Xian, he would never allow her to regain her former glory at this time. If he did, wouldn't that boost her father, General Pang's, prestige in the court? Everything he had done before would be in vain.

Emperor Yuanwu wanted to use Rong Yuze to suppress General Pang's power in the court. In fact, if she just helped Consort Ying in the harem, she wouldn't need to do anything to Consort Xian to make her life miserable.

"Keep a close eye on Consort Ying. You must do everything in your power to protect her and the child in her womb." Shen Qingwan's expression was exceptionally serious and earnest.

"Yes, ma'am."

Shen Qingwan was just enjoying the scenery and drinking tea in the center of the lake in the Imperial Garden on a whim. She never thought that this matter would be known to everyone in the harem, let alone that Emperor Yuanwu would come.

On her way back to the palace, Shen Qingwan happened to run into Consort Shen and Consort An.

She was somewhat surprised to see the two of them walking side by side.

Consort Shen was sent by Prince Xiang's mansion and had only been in the palace for a short time. She lived in Changchun Palace, as did Consort An.

The two of them live so far apart, so when exactly did they end up together?
"Greetings to Your Majesty the Empress. Your humble servant greets Your Majesty the Empress." Consort Shen and Consort An bowed together.

"Get up," Shen Qingwan said calmly, having to stop because of the two of them.

The three of them just stood there, not saying a word, which only made things more and more awkward.

Consort Shen and Consort An exchanged glances, and Consort Shen couldn't help but speak first, "Your Majesty, Consort An and I have nothing to do and would like to take a stroll in the Imperial Garden. Would Your Majesty like to come along?"

"I just came from the Imperial Garden and I'm a little tired. I need to go back to the palace to rest. You two can go now." After saying this, Shen Qingwan started walking.

"This concubine respectfully sees off Her Majesty the Empress." Consort Shen and Consort An curtsied.

Only after Shen Qingwan had gone far away did Consort Shen finally speak up, "Her Majesty the Empress said she was tired. She caused such a commotion in the palace today, no wonder she's exhausted." "Isn't that right? I've long heard that Her Majesty the Empress is constantly coming up with all sorts of dishes to please the Emperor. Now even Kunning Palace can't accommodate her anymore, so she actually went to the middle of the lake for lunch in this freezing weather. Doesn't she care about catching a cold from the cold wind on the lake?" Consort An said sullenly.

"Before entering the palace, I often heard that Her Majesty the Empress was in poor health and had a serious illness last year, almost losing her life. She was also someone who didn't manage affairs in the harem. But now, it seems that these rumors are untrue," Consort Shen added.

"Whether the rumors are true or not doesn't matter, but if the Empress continues to cause trouble like this, I'm afraid not only will the Emperor's soul be bewitched by her, but the Empress Dowager is also extremely satisfied with the Empress now, and the Empress is visiting Cining Palace more and more frequently." Consort An sighed helplessly.

Consort Shen scoffed, "It's not just the Empress Dowager; even the eldest prince, whom the Emperor doesn't like, has received a lot of attention from the Empress."

"If the Empress really took the eldest prince to Kunning Palace to raise, then there would be a world of difference between an Empress with a prince and an Empress without a prince."

"What difference is there? Whether she has a prince or not, she is still the empress. The eldest prince is not her biological son. Whether he can inherit the throne or whether another concubine's son will succeed to the throne, it will not prevent her from becoming the empress dowager and living a life of luxury in the harem."

“Oh, right.” An Changzai said, “Even if you are afraid of being threatened, that’s something only a concubine would worry about. It’s really worrying unnecessarily for someone of my rank to worry about such things. But you are different, sister. No matter what, you are already a noble lady as soon as you enter the palace. If you are favored by the emperor in the future and promoted to the rank of concubine, you will be the head of the palace.”

Imperial concubine rank?

The thought of Emperor Yuanwu storming out of her palace filled Consort Shen with inexplicable irritation.

"Alright, alright, that's enough. Let's go back to the palace. Although it's warmer now, it's still freezing cold if we stay outside for too long."

An Changzai paused for a moment, then said, "I'll head back now. I'll visit my sister another day when I have time."

When Shen Qingwan arrived at the entrance of Kunning Palace, she saw a man dressed in the robes of a fifth-rank official standing at the palace gate.

This person looks somewhat familiar, but I can't quite place who it is.

Just then, the man also saw Shen Qingwan and hurriedly stepped forward to greet her. He knelt down and introduced himself, "Your humble servant, Luo Zhongyi, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau Chief, greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty live a thousand years!"

Luo Zhongyi, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau Chief?

Ever since Hu Zhouze was subjected to the boiling punishment by Emperor Yuanwu, the position of Director of the Imperial Observatory has been vacant. How come a new person has been appointed so quickly?
"You look familiar to me. Have I seen you somewhere before?" Shen Qingwan asked, puzzled.

"Your Majesty, I was originally also employed in the Imperial Observatory, but I was just assisting Lord Hu."

Shen Qingwan nodded and did not ask any further questions. Although she did not know when he had been waiting there, judging from his nose, which was red from the cold, he must have been waiting for quite a while.

"Please come in with me first."

Upon arriving at the main hall of Kunning Palace, Shen Qingwan took off her cloak and had someone brew a cup of tea for Luo Zhongyi.

"Lord Luo, there's no need to be so formal. Have some tea to warm yourself up," Shen Qingwan said casually.

Luo Zhongyi stood to the side, bowing respectfully, "Your humble servant thanks Your Majesty the Empress for your great kindness..."

(End of this chapter)