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

Chapter 249 A Despicable Person
The matter quickly spread throughout the entire harem.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, good news! Huge good news!"

Pei'er rushed in from outside Yanxi Palace in a great hurry.

Since being demoted, Consort De has been claiming illness and has not left Yanxi Palace for a long time.

The Emperor had no time to concern himself with matters of the inner palace, and the Empress would not fuss over such trivial matters.

Since she said she was sick, just pick any imperial physician to come every day, prescribe some mild medicine, and let her recover slowly.

Now she is just a minor noblewoman, with no princes or even princesses by her side.

Who would still care about her or remember her?

Yanxi Palace is almost a cold palace. To live a life of mere survival in such a neglected palace is the best possible ending!
"What is it?" Consort Song asked listlessly, Pei'er's excitement did not stir up the slightest ripple in her heart.

"Your Majesty, it's about Consort Xian." Pei'er's lips were practically trembling with excitement as she spoke, "This servant just heard that General Pang Da was attacked by an assassin in the army last night and is now poisoned. His Majesty has ordered Imperial Physician Zhang to lead several highly skilled physicians from the Imperial Hospital to Lingnan. Consort Xian kowtowed until her head bled at the entrance of Ya Xin Shop, begging His Majesty to grant her permission to leave the palace. Your Majesty, if General Pang Da weren't on the verge of death, would Consort Xian have gone to such lengths?"

She wasn't sure if it was worth it.

But as long as Consort Xian is not living a comfortable life, she will feel much more at ease.

"Why wouldn't she need to? She's been so popular in the harem for so many years, all thanks to her general father. Now that he's about to die, shouldn't we go and cry to him to show our filial piety?" Consort Song smiled radiantly, her good mood impossible to hide.

“Your Majesty is right.” Pei’er’s lips also lifted up. “But it seems that Consort Xian doesn’t even have the chance to cry. She knelt at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation and kowtowed until her head was bleeding, but the Emperor did not grant her permission to leave the palace. He just sent her back.”

"Heh." Consort Song couldn't help but scoff coldly. "Who does she think she is? This harem is not a place she can just leave whenever she wants. Does she think she's the Empress? A mere concubine, wanting to leave the palace to visit her family, what a fool's dream."

"Your Majesty, you didn't see how miserable Consort Xian was at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. It seems she was caught red-handed by several ministers who came to the palace today to discuss state affairs with the Emperor. Among these ministers was Consort Rou's father." Pei'er's face was full of sarcasm.

"Lord Wen?" Consort Song smiled even more smugly. "Go and get my rose-red dress. It's spring, and I'm going to Kunning Palace tomorrow morning to pay my respects to the Empress."

"Your Majesty is in high spirits these days, and you look much better," Pei'er flattered.

"A happy occasion?" Consort Song couldn't help but laugh. "It's a bit early. He's still alive, isn't he?"

"Your Majesty, although she is not dead yet, judging from Consort Xian's grief, I'm afraid she won't live for more than a few days."

"A few days?" Consort Song's smile vanished instantly. She clicked her tongue. "A bit long."

She really wished that General Pang would die in a short while!

In what way is she inferior to Consort Xian?

Because of her father's meager and insignificant military achievements, she was able to completely overshadow her from the moment she entered the Prince's mansion.

What delicious food, nice clothes, and useful items!

Emperor Yuanwu always let her choose first; only what was left over was for her. Was she some kind of despicable person?

She deserved to be used on the leftovers, the ones she didn't like.

She really dreams of her father dying.

so good!
I'm finally going to die!
Just go die already!!!
Without her father as a powerful figure, she wanted to see how long this Consort Xian could remain so arrogant.

Consort Xian's good days are over.

The Empress was probably the last person in the entire harem to know about this.

After lunch, Consort Shu and Consort Jin took their account books to Kunning Palace.

Although they were in charge of managing the six palaces, the account books were related to the expenses of the entire harem, which was a very important matter in the harem.

But the words on the ledger, though I recognize each one individually, seem incomprehensible when put together.

These past few days, Consort Shu and Consort Jin have been troubled by the account books. After much thought, they decided to consult the Empress or ask her to arrange for someone knowledgeable to teach them.

"Your Majesty, you are truly amazing. These past two days, Consort Shu and I have been so worried about this account book that we couldn't eat or sleep. The more we tried to figure it out, the more confused we became. But after Your Majesty's explanation, we understand it instantly." Consort Shu let out a long sigh of relief and couldn't help but sigh with admiration.

"Actually, it's not difficult. It's just that the accounts are all the expenses of each palace, which is basically a running account. That's why it seems hard to sort out. This year, in addition to the general ledger, each palace also has its own separate ledger, which records all the details of various expenses. For example, the amount of money spent on candles varies from palace to palace, but it's not too different. You see, the amount of money spent on candles in Changchun Palace, Qixiang Palace and Chuxiu Palace for three months is almost the same. On the contrary, Zhongcui Palace spends more."

Consort Shu and Consort Jin came over and looked in the direction Shen Qingwan was pointing.

When I glanced at the ledger, I didn't notice it, but now, upon comparison, I realized that the money spent on candles at Zhongcui Palace had indeed increased considerably.

Logically speaking, only Consort Rou lived in Zhongcui Palace, while Changchun Palace, Qixiang Palace, and Chuxiu Palace each had at least two concubines.

Such a comparison.

"Could it be that Zhongcui Palace made a false report?" Consort Jin blurted out.

"It can't be that bad," Consort Shu said thoughtfully. "Since entering the palace, Consort Rou has been favored by the Emperor. After she became pregnant, she received a constant stream of rewards. How could she possibly exaggerate the cost of candles?"

“She certainly didn’t exaggerate,” Shen Qingwan said confidently. “The Fourth Prince was born in Zhongcui Palace last month. It’s inevitable that young children will be a bit noisy, and it’s common for them to have their days and nights reversed. I imagine that Zhongcui Palace is brightly lit day and night.”

Consort Shu sighed, "Children are indeed difficult to raise when they are young. When the Third Prince was first brought to Yonghe Palace, he would sleep all day and make a fuss all night. He was very difficult to raise."

“In that case, it makes sense,” Consort Jin added.

"What I mean is that keeping these accounts like this makes it easy to mislead people. Even if one palace falsifies its accounts, it won't be immediately apparent. Only by separating the accounts from each palace can we make a clear comparison..."

Before Shen Qingwan could finish speaking, Su Tianhe walked in from outside with a grave expression. "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened..."