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

Chapter 240 Kindness
Last time, his younger brother, who shared the same mother, encountered a bully while treating someone.

Fortunately, a kind person helped him; otherwise, his brother would probably be dead by now.

His younger brother even asked his savior about it so that he could easily express his gratitude later.

At the time, the person simply said that he was from the Shen family.

He estimated that in the capital, apart from the Empress's maternal family, there should be no other Shen family with such skilled guards.

However, when this matter was mentioned during the last consultation with the Empress, the Empress herself confirmed that it was not her maternal family who provided assistance.

Although he thanked the wrong person at the time, he has always kept this matter in mind.

A life-saving grace must be repaid with boundless gratitude.

Later, when he was on leave from the palace, he even found a painter to paint a portrait of his savior based on his brother's description.

The guard standing by the lake at that moment bore a striking resemblance to the savior in the painting, bearing a nine-tenths resemblance.

Although there are people in the world who look alike, Physician Zhang did not believe that the person who saved his brother would look like someone in the palace.

If this person really was the one who saved his brother, why didn't he just say he was from Prince Rui's mansion, but instead said he was from the Shen family? What was his intention?
Could it be...

Physician Zhang's eyes trembled violently. Could it be that this person wanted to attribute this favor to the Shen family? Did he already know his identity the moment he saved his brother?

He knew his younger brother would definitely tell him about this, hoping that when he served in the palace, he would remember this kindness and take better care of the Empress.

If that's the case, then the person who truly saved his brother back then wasn't this person, but rather his master, Prince Rui!

Many years ago, I heard that Prince Rui was engaged to the current Empress. I thought it was just a marriage arranged by parents and matchmakers.

If his speculations are all true, it shows how much Prince Rui cares for the Empress…

Physician Zhang quietly withdrew from the Imperial Garden. He couldn't make a fuss until the matter was thoroughly investigated. Regardless of the man's motives, he was his brother's savior.

He could not express his gratitude enough, and he could not needlessly cause trouble for this person.

After returning to the palace, Shen Qingwan washed up and lay down on the bed.

Consort Xi is now pregnant and will not be able to serve the Emperor for a while, which will finally give her some peace and quiet. Otherwise, every time she goes to Cining Palace to pay her respects, she will hear the Empress Dowager talking about Consort Xi, which is really annoying.

However, what Prince Rui just said...

Shen Qingwan lay on the bed, and as soon as she closed her eyes, she could see the image of Prince Rui standing in front of her and talking to her. As she thought about it, she suddenly opened her eyes and sat up in bed.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Zhen'er walked to the bedside upon hearing the voice, and worriedly took a silk handkerchief to wipe the fine sweat from Shen Qingwan's forehead.

Shen Qingwan composed herself and slowly shook her head. "No."

"Your Majesty, you don't look well. How about I send someone to the Imperial Hospital to invite Physician Zhang over to take a look?" Zhen'er said, still worried.

"I'm fine." Shen Qingwan looked up at Zhen'er and forced a smile.

She had intended to smile to reassure Zhen'er, but who would have thought that the way she turned up her lips would look worse than crying?

Zhen'er: ...

"I'm really fine, you may leave now," Shen Qingwan said calmly. Zhen'er hesitated for a moment, then said, "This servant will wait outside. If Your Highness feels unwell, please don't force yourself. Just call this servant."

Shen Qingwan nodded firmly once again.

After Zhen'er left, she slowly lay back down on the bed.

She could ignore everything else Prince Rui said, but he had just brought up the matter of Xianfu Palace, so she had to think it over carefully.

Although it was Consort Shu who first proposed adopting the Third Prince, and later she also proposed assisting in managing the six palaces, it seems that her relationship with Consort Shu was not very close.

It wasn't just Consort Shu; it seemed she wasn't very familiar with any of the concubines in the entire harem.

She always felt that in this unfamiliar harem, as an empress, maintaining a certain distance from each concubine was not a bad thing.

She was the Empress. She didn't need to curry favor with anyone or seek anyone's help to solidify her position in the harem. She was already sitting in the highest position.

All she has to do now is to avoid making any mistakes and prevent anyone in the palace from doing anything that could implicate her.

As for the rest...

She only needs to sit back and watch the show, observing the situation calmly.

She had just heard Prince Rui's words, though she didn't know what his unspoken meaning was.

Should she be wary of Consort Shu? Or should she be wary of Consort Jin?

She should still be careful that Consort Jin might make a mistake and harm Consort Xi's unborn child.

Regardless of which one, prevention is always better than cure.

Deep down, she still wanted to believe Prince Rui, to believe his words, and even more so, to believe that he would not harm her.

The next morning.

After the concubines from each palace paid their respects, Shen Qingwan had someone go to the Imperial Hospital to get some honeysuckle. She kept some for herself and planned to send the rest to Cining Palace.

If Consort Xi were just an ordinary consort in the palace, then after she became pregnant, she could have found any excuse to move her to another place to rest and prepare for childbirth. But this person just happened to be the Empress Dowager's cousin.

Moving her to a different palace isn't a big deal. Noble ladies don't share the same main position. Wherever she goes, as long as she lives alone, it's better than living in someone else's palace.

After much deliberation, Shen Qingwan decided that it would be more appropriate to inform the Empress Dowager first before making any further arrangements.

"Your daughter-in-law greets Your Majesty, may Your Majesty be blessed." Shen Qingwan entered the Cining Palace's inner chamber, where the Empress Dowager was kneeling before the Buddha statue, performing her morning prayers.

Hearing the voice, she paused in the turning of her prayer beads, slowly opened her eyes, and looked in the direction of the voice. She saw that it was the Empress. The Empress Dowager's face showed a kind smile, "Why has the Empress come at this hour? Is there something you need?"

Shen Qingwan quickly walked to the Empress Dowager's side and helped her stand up from the ground. "Nothing can be hidden from the Empress Dowager. Your daughter-in-law came here early this morning because she had something to discuss with you."

The Empress Dowager's expression remained unchanged. She took her hand and led her towards the food platter, her smile deepening. "Your Majesty came so early this morning, have you had breakfast yet?"

Shen Qingwan raised her eyes and glanced at the food on the plate. Even though she had already had a bowl of white porridge and a steamed bun in the palace, she said leisurely, "I was sleeping in today. I just saw off the concubines who came to pay their respects and haven't had breakfast yet."

(End of this chapter)