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

Chapter 236 Utter Speechlessness

Emperor Yuanwu moved his lips, as if he wanted to say something more, when he saw the palace maids bringing in plate after plate of food.

"Has the Empress not had her dinner yet?" Emperor Yuanwu asked, puzzled.

Shen Qingwan nodded. "I was a little tired when I came back this afternoon, so I took a nap. I just woke up. Would Your Majesty like to have something to eat with me?"

Eat something good!

She made it so obvious that time would pass quickly while she was eating and drinking. She had just woken up from an afternoon nap, so Emperor Yuanwu wouldn't be calling her to go to bed soon, would he?

She... was really not sleepy, and didn't want to sleep at all!

Emperor Yuanwu had never been able to resist the food at Kunning Palace. Although he had already eaten dinner, he didn't eat to the point of being stuffed.

Now that the Empress had started the fire, Emperor Yuanwu naturally sat down opposite Shen Qingwan.

"Let me see what delicious food the Empress has prepared..."

As Emperor Yuanwu spoke, he picked up his chopsticks, but when he looked down at the food on the table, his eyebrows twitched involuntarily.

The table was covered in green vegetables. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that each plate of vegetables was different. However, there wasn't a single piece of meat to be found. The only thing that looked decent was the large bowl of bird's nest porridge in the very center of the table.

"Why is the Empress eating so blandly?" Emperor Yuanwu's expression instantly became somewhat indescribable, and he slowly put the chopsticks in his hand back on the table.

Shen Qingwan watched the expressions on his face flash by like a revolving lantern, and she really wanted to laugh, but she had to hold it in.

She thought through almost all the sad things in her life before she made sure her voice sounded normal.

"Does Your Majesty not like to eat? Why did you suddenly put down your chopsticks?" Shen Qingwan asked knowingly.

Emperor Yuanwu swallowed hard. "I had dinner before I came and didn't have much of an appetite. The Empress hasn't had dinner yet, so she must be hungry. Let's eat quickly."

Clearly, the unspoken message was: Don't ask what you shouldn't ask; if you must ask, ask yourself. Don't you even look at this table full of vegetables and pickles? How could a dignified emperor possibly eat them?

Shen Qingwan saw through his intentions but didn't say anything. It was fine if he didn't eat it anyway, since she hadn't prepared a portion for him. Now that no one was going to take it from her, she picked up some pickled mustard greens and put them in the bird's nest porridge before eating.

When Emperor Yuanwu saw her put the pickled mustard greens into the bird's nest porridge, his expression clearly turned ferocious.

pickle?

Bird's nest porridge?
How exactly did Shen Qingwan manage to put these two seemingly incongruous things together and eat them with such relish?

Emperor Yuanwu couldn't help but look down at his bowl of bird's nest porridge, and then at the plate of dried radish in front of him.

Is bird's nest porridge with pickled vegetables really that delicious?

Emperor Yuanwu struggled for a while before finally picking up a piece of dried radish, intending to put it in his mouth.

Wu Jixiang walked in from outside. "Your Majesty, a servant from Xianfu Palace just reported that Consort Xi suddenly felt unwell this evening and fainted in the palace. The imperial physician has just been summoned. I would like to ask if Your Majesty is available at this time to go and take a look."

Has Consort Xi fainted?

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuanwu's expression remained unchanged. From the moment Consort Xi entered the palace, whether due to bad luck or simply lack of destiny, she had never been favored by Emperor Yuanwu.

If it were any other concubine, since Emperor Yuanwu didn't have any important matters to attend to, he would have gone anyway. But Consort Kexi…

It should be noted that this title of "Noble Lady" was bestowed upon her only after half a year of persuasion, out of respect for the Empress Dowager. Since the selection of concubines, she has only served the Emperor twice.

After Wu Jixiang finished speaking, seeing that Emperor Yuanwu remained silent for a long time, he could only look to Shen Qingwan for help.

Shen Qingwan was utterly speechless.

She just couldn't understand what was wrong with this Consort Xi.

Why is Emperor Yuanwu so averse to her, simply because she is the woman his own mother arranged for him?

This Emperor Yuanwu, how old is he? Is he still going through his rebellious teenage years, or has he gone through early menopause?

However, upon closer reflection, it seems that it has been about a month since Consort Xi last served the emperor.

Could it be...

"Why doesn't Your Majesty go and take a look?"

Wu Jixiang was so anxious he was almost crying. Finally, Shen Qingwan spoke. The look in his eyes when he looked at her was one of overwhelming gratitude. If Emperor Yuanwu were here, he would really want to kowtow to her.

Shen Qingwan looked at his pathetic state and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She had originally planned to wait until she was full before interfering, but now it seemed she could only reluctantly put down her bowl. "Your Majesty, Consort Xi isn't the type to easily feign illness or be dramatic. Since she sent someone to invite her, Your Majesty might as well go and see her, just in case..."

"What if you feel unwell? Go see the imperial physician. I don't know how to treat illnesses. If I go this time, everyone will follow suit. Then I won't be able to do anything. If anyone in the harem sneezes, I'll have to be summoned. How will I be able to handle state affairs?" Emperor Yuanwu interrupted her, his voice as cold as ice striking stone.

Shen Qingwan: ...

Shen Qingwan was speechless. Even if she really didn't like it, she didn't have to say it so bluntly. Although she was the Empress Dowager's cousin, wasn't she still his own cousin?

"Your Majesty, what I was trying to say was, what if Consort Xi isn't ill, but has some good news?" Shen Qingwan said helplessly.

good news?
When Emperor Yuanwu heard these three words, his expression softened a little, but he still showed no intention of getting up to go and see.

What kind of man is this?
He showed no joy at the fact that his woman was pregnant, and didn't even bother to look at her.

That's it!

And the entire palace was scrambling to win the emperor's favor?
Shen Qingwan was completely baffled, but then she thought of the Empress Dowager…

She took a deep breath and continued to persuade him, "Does Your Majesty really not want to go and see? Even if Your Majesty doesn't like Consort Xi, if she is really pregnant, it will be a great joy in the harem. If it is a prince, then Your Majesty will have another prince."

Shen Qingwan felt awkward saying such words of advice, but she had no choice. If she didn't try to persuade him, Emperor Yuanwu might not actually come over tonight.

If this news spreads tomorrow morning that Consort Xi is pregnant and can't even get the Emperor to come, will she still be able to stay in the harem? Even the Empress Dowager will be slapped in the face. And if it's mentioned that Emperor Yuanwu didn't go to Kunning Palace, she'll probably be in deep trouble too.

The Empress Dowager wouldn't blame Emperor Yuanwu, so he could only vent his anger on her.

The little bit of goodwill she had cultivated in front of the Empress Dowager was probably of no use compared to the injustice her cousin suffered.

"So what if he's a prince? He's not the legitimate son." Emperor Yuanwu remained unmoved.

(End of this chapter)