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

Chapter 247 Empty Joy

Green Pine reached out to support her. "Your Highness, are you alright?"

Consort Wen slowly shook her head, then gently patted her chest twice to calm herself down.

“Your Highness, you have only recently entered the palace, so you may not know this.” Cui’er glanced at Green Pine and hesitated before saying, “In the inner palace, the principal consort can punish every servant in her palace at will. For example, although I serve by your side, if I do something wrong, Consort Xian, as the principal consort of Jingyang Palace, has the right to punish me. Moreover, even if you are a noble lady, you cannot stop or protect me.”

"What kind of bullshit palace rules are these!" Green Pine couldn't help but shout and curse. "I really don't understand your Yuan Kingdom's emperor. How can a woman with such a volatile temper and inhuman extravagance be worthy of the position of the head of a palace?"

Upon hearing this, Cui'er was so frightened that she waved her hands repeatedly at Lvsong, "Aunt Lvsong, please don't say such things. If this gets to Consort Xian's ears, she'll be slapped."

"Slap her if you want, do you think I'm afraid of her?" Green Pine sneered. "What skills does she have? She's nothing but a bully who relies on her master's power. Everyone in the Northern Desert knows all the despicable things her father has done over the years. Everyone says that Consort Xian is a woman of great beauty and the most favored concubine in the palace. But since she moved into Jingyang Palace, I haven't seen Emperor Yuanwu visit her even once."

Cui'er glanced at the maid standing in the hall, then waved her hand repeatedly at Lvsong, signaling her to stop talking.

Although Green Pine stopped talking, her face was full of disdain.

"Green Pine, come with me for a moment."

Consort Wen summoned Green Pine into her bedchamber. Once they were alone, she stopped and turned to say, "Green Pine, you need to change your temper. I know you're saying all this for my own good, but this isn't the northern desert. Everyone in this palace is from the Yuan Kingdom. If someone were to take your words out of context and complain to Emperor Yuanwu or the Empress, even if you're not afraid of death, if something were to happen to you, leaving me alone in this vast harem, have you ever thought about how I would survive?"

Green Pine was taken aback, then suddenly realized and said, "I was wrong."

"Alright." Consort Wen reached out and patted her shoulder. "I didn't mean to blame you. Consort Xian is ruthless, and the Empress is too cunning. Several favored concubines in the harem are pregnant. Yuan Kingdom is far more complex than we think. Yet, since I entered the palace, Emperor Yuanwu has never visited my palace once. This is not only a slap in my face but also a slap in the face to Mobei. His disdain shows that Yuan Kingdom has never feared the Mobei tribes. Even Mogan Junyi has been under guard since entering the palace. If the two countries go to war, Mogan Junyi and I will become victims. Moreover, I think Mobei may not win. Although I cannot use Emperor Yuanwu's favor to buy a few years of peace in Mobei, I must not become the fuse that ignites war between the two countries. If a war really breaks out, the people of Mobei will suffer the most!"

Green Pine was taken aback and knelt on the ground. "It was my oversight. I promise I will never say such things again."

"Alright, get up." Consort Wen bent down and helped Green Pine up from the ground.

at the same time.

On the other side of Jingyang Palace, Consort Xian looked at the two palace maids she had tormented half to death and finally felt relieved.

She had the two palace maids thrown into the woodshed, only to suddenly remember that Xia Mei seemed to have something she wanted to say to her.

"You..." Consort Xian pointed at Xia Mei with her bandaged hand, "Did you have something to say just now?"

Xia Mei stood aside, almost crying with anxiety. Upon hearing this, she hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the General's Mansion just sent someone to deliver a message, saying that General Pang was attacked by assassins in the middle of the night while he was resting in the camp last night."

what?
Consort Xian's eyes trembled violently. "How is Father?"

"General Pang was mighty and captured the assassin on the spot. However, during the fight, he was accidentally injured on the back of his hand by the assassin's hidden weapon. It wouldn't have been a big deal, just a bandage and some rest would have been enough. But unfortunately, the hidden weapon was poisoned..." Poison?

Consort Xian jumped up from the stool, and perhaps because she stood up too quickly, her vision went black and she almost fell. She braced herself on the table with one hand, and the color drained from her face, leaving her pale. "Why didn't you say something so important sooner?"

"Your Majesty," Xia Mei said, tears streaming down her face, "I've tried to speak up so many times, but each time Your Majesty has interrupted me. Just now, someone from the General's Mansion came to say that General Pang is in very bad shape. What should Your Majesty do?"

What to do?

Consort Xian felt her mind go blank. "Summon the imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician immediately to treat Father! Go now!!!"

Consort Xian practically shouted the last sentence.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please calm down."

Seeing Consort Xian's frantic and outrageous state, Xia Mei helplessly spread her hands. She wanted to stand up, but she was afraid that if she stood up without Consort Xian's permission, she would be punished. After all, the punishment she had received last time had just healed, and the scene of Consort Xian torturing the palace servants was still vivid in her mind.

"Calm down, how can I calm down at a time like this?" Consort Xian seemed to have thought of something and quickly ran towards the palace gate, calling out "Your Majesty" as she ran.

Upon hearing the sound, Green Pine and Consort Wen came out of the hall.

"What's wrong with Consort Xian?" She had just been lectured by Noble Lady Wen, and the thought, "Has Consort Xian lost her mind?" was swallowed back down her throat.

Having just tortured the palace maid, she was now crying and screaming. Anyone who didn't know better would think that she was the one who had just been tortured!

Cui'er looked serious and spoke cautiously, "This servant just heard some news, but I don't know if it's true or false."

"Speak freely." Consort Wen withdrew her gaze and glanced at Cui'er indifferently. "Anyway, we're all in our own palace. Even if you say something wrong, no one will blame you."

Cui'er glanced around and whispered in Consort Wen's ear, "Your Highness, I just heard that Consort Xian's father, General Pang Da, was assassinated in the military camp last night and was poisoned. I'm afraid he's already gone."

Consort Xian's father, General Pang Da?
Isn't that the general whose achievements overshadowed his master and who has caused chaos in the northern deserts all these years?

He caused the Northern Desert to change its king, and before he could even avenge the great humiliation, he was going to die. Wouldn't that be too easy for him?

"Is it true?" Wen Gui was afraid that the news was false and that he would be disappointed.

"Replying to Your Highness, it was when the messenger from the General's Mansion was speaking to Aunt Xia Mei, who serves Consort Xian, that I overheard..."