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

Chapter 245 Why panic?

Shen Qingwan's biggest worry was that after Xiaoling left the palace and saw her mother one last time, what would she do if her mother really couldn't make it through the ordeal and the funeral was over?
"I've asked all the questions I needed to ask. After I pack my things and collect my money, I can leave the palace at any time," Shen Qingwan said calmly.

"Thank you, Queen."

Xiaoling kowtowed on the ground and then left.

After she left, Zhen'er couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, you asked so many questions just now. I thought you were going to help her, but I didn't expect... you only asked a few questions and then let her go. I really don't understand."

Shen Qingwan picked up the teacup on the table and took a small sip. "This tea has gone cold. Please brew me a fresh pot."

Zhen'er: ...

"Yes, ma'am."

It wasn't that she didn't want to help, but she felt that everyone has their own choices, and often good intentions don't necessarily lead to good results. If Xiaoling's biggest wish was to see her mother one last time, wouldn't that be perfect?

Perhaps in the near future, when her mother is gone, she will be all alone and helpless in the old house, which is certainly not as good as being in the palace. But in all things, there are gains and losses.

Xiaoling quickly packed her things and received her money. The other older palace maids, who had thought leaving the palace would involve a complicated process, were surprised to find it so simple. They also packed their things, received their money, and waited for Zhen'er to issue them their exit tokens. Compared to them, Xiaocui, although also on the list of those leaving the palace, hesitated.

After Zhen'er finished serving Shen Qingwan her afternoon nap, she came over to tell them some things to be careful about when leaving the palace, and then handed the tokens to them one by one.

Xiao Cui was standing at the very back and was the last to receive the palace exit token. She stared at the token that Zhen'er handed her, pursed her lips deeply, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Aunt Zhen'er, after I leave the palace with this token, will I never be able to come back?"

Zhen'er forced a smile. "That's an interesting question. Didn't you ask to leave the palace yourself? Now that you've finally gotten out, why are you thinking about coming back?"

Xiao Cui clutched the bundle in her hands, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "Aunt Zhen'er, actually..."

"Alright, alright, you're so happy you're almost crying." Zhen'er interrupted her directly. "Being able to leave the palace is a good thing. Not only is the Empress happy for you, but I am too. You must live well after leaving the palace. If you can find a good family to marry into, that would be the best ending for you. But you must never be greedy. You can only eat from one family. If you eat from two families, you probably won't have a good ending."

He ate at two different restaurants with just one mouth.

They probably won't have a good ending.

Hearing her words, Xiao Cui couldn't help but shudder. "Aunt Zhen'er..."

Zhen'er ignored her completely, not even glancing at her, and turned to the others, asking, "Did you all remember it too?"

"Yes, Aunt Zhen'er, I've remembered everything." "It's getting late, everyone should leave the palace soon, otherwise the road will be difficult to travel after dark."

After Zhen'er finished giving her instructions, the group headed towards the palace gate. Only Xiao Cui walked at the very back, constantly turning back to look towards Kunning Palace.

"What exactly does this Xiao Cui want?" Su Tianhe stood next to Zhen'er, his hands folded in front of him, holding a whisk in one hand.

"Pah!" Zhen'er couldn't help but spit. "Legacy that comes too late is worth less than grass. If only you had known this would happen, you wouldn't have done it in the first place."

"Actually, you can't blame her for this. Seeing her looking back every few steps," Su Tianhe clicked his tongue, "it really makes you feel sorry for her."

"Feel sorry for her?" Zhen'er turned her head incredulously. "Are you out of your mind or have no brain at all? You feel sorry for her? If you really felt sorry for her, you should go find her and bring her back now. I reckon she hasn't even reached the palace gate yet."

Su Tianhe was speechless. "What are you saying? I just saw how reluctant she was to leave, and I thought she also wanted to stay in the palace to serve. Back then, even though she received money from Consort Xian, didn't she hand it all over? Maybe she was coerced by Xia Fuchuan."

"Ha." Zhen'er sneered, "I don't believe that when she took that silver, her heart was as still as water, without a single evil thought. If she were truly loyal to the Empress, how could she accept an olive branch thrown at her by the Empress's mortal enemy? If Xia Fuchuan had approached you back then, what would you have done?"

“Of course I could never betray Her Majesty the Empress. Even if Her Majesty were not good to us, betraying one’s master would only make people look down on us, and I would never do such a thing.” Su Tianhe’s eyes were firm.

"That's outrageous!" Zhen'er couldn't help but roll her eyes. "No one could have done that. Since she accepted the money back then, it means she agreed to Xia Fuchuan's request. Otherwise, do you think the people in Xianfu Palace are freeloaders who give money to everyone they meet? It's just that she thought about it afterward and realized that it would be better to follow the Empress than to rely on a disgraced concubine. That's why she brought it up. If Consort Xian were still as favored as before, she would probably have told Xia Fuchuan every detail about the rat holes in Kunning Palace."

"No." Su Tianhe's expression was somewhat complicated. "I was just saying it casually, why are you angry?"

"Am I angry? When did I get angry? How could I dare to be angry with you, Eunuch Su?" Zhen'er spread her hands, her eyes darting around: "Eunuch Su, would you not be thinking of taking Xiao Cui in as a concubine because she's pretty?"

“You…” Su Tianhe pouted, pointing a finger at Zhen’er, his angry but speechless expression was truly laughable. “Don’t wrong me.”

"Alright, alright." Zhen'er knelt down and bowed deeply to him. "This servant knows her mistake. This servant dares not. This servant must go and see if Her Majesty the Empress should get up. This servant will take her leave now."

Su Tianhe: ...

What a sharp tongue!
No sooner had Xiao Cui left the palace than news arrived at Xianfu Palace.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, something terrible has happened." Xia Fuchuan hurriedly walked to Consort Xian's side, gave a wink to the servants standing in the hall, and waited until they left one by one before approaching Consort Xian and whispering, "Your Majesty, all the palace maids in Kunning Palace who have reached the age to leave the palace have already left."

"So what if I'm leaving the palace? What's the rush?" Consort Xian frowned in annoyance.

"Your Majesty, Xiao Cui was among the palace maids released from Kunning Palace this time..."