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

Chapter 255 Fight!

Shen Qingwan held the teacup in one hand and the lid in the other, gently skimming off the tea leaves floating on the surface, and then took a small sip.

Actually, she didn't like the taste of honeysuckle before. She always thought that honeysuckle had a pleasant aroma, but tasted slightly bitter. Now that she drinks it more often, she feels that the faint bitterness melts in her mouth, giving her a feeling of remembering the bitter past and appreciating the sweet present.

This suffering wasn't her own; to be precise, it was the suffering the original owner had endured before. In these wonderful days, she ate the best food and drank the best drinks, was waited on hand and foot every day, had someone to serve her when she bathed and changed, and even had good shows to watch. The original owner was just stupid!

Why waste such a good life on pointless things...

Shen Qingwan paused slightly upon realizing this!
Consort Xian looked at the Empress sitting in front, leisurely sipping her tea, then turned to look at Consort Song sitting behind her, who was smiling so hard her back teeth were showing, as happy as if she had just been made Empress.

good good!
It seems that everyone in the harem except her is in a good mood.

Consort Xian suddenly became restless.

She was about to get up when Shen Qingwan spoke first, "If there's nothing else, let's all call it a day."

Everyone rose and bowed, "Yes, Your Majesty the Empress."

Consort Xian: ...

She's now seriously wondering if she didn't sleep all night, because her reactions are slower than others.

After everyone had paid their respects, Consort Xian belatedly stood up.

As a concubine, she was seated in the third row, near the front. Such a commotion naturally drew Shen Qingwan's attention, who had just turned to leave, to turn and look in her direction.

Shen Qingwan looked over at Consort Xian, and the concubines who had risen to pay their respects naturally followed her gaze.

Consort Xian felt embarrassed and looked away when she was stared at by so many people.

Shen Qingwan didn't pay much attention, but paused for a moment before walking towards the palace.

After the Empress left, the concubines also began to walk out of the palace one after another.

Consort Song was standing not far from the door, so she naturally went out first. However, after she went out, she did not leave immediately, but slowed down and deliberately waited for a while.

When Consort Xian came out with you, you quickly went to greet her. "Your Highness Consort Xian, I heard that my father was injured. My father happens to know some skilled doctors outside the palace. Should I write a letter to my father and ask him to invite the doctors to the army to see your father?"

Consort Xian frowned, and upon hearing her words, she suddenly stopped in her tracks and said irritably, "There's no need for Consort Song to trouble herself. His Majesty has already sent the best imperial physicians to the army to treat Father."

Hearing Consort Xian's sharp and irritating words, Consort Song showed no displeasure whatsoever, and her smile remained unchanged. "Consort Xian is truly favored by the Emperor. I am ashamed to admit that I am not as good as her."

Consort Xian: ...

"Consort Song, is this funny?" Consort Xian gritted her teeth, enunciating each word clearly. "Funny, of course it's funny, extremely funny." Consort Song said, flicking the handkerchief in her hand and bursting into laughter.

Consort Xian's face turned ashen.

"Your Majesty, this Consort Song is just a minor consort, yet she dares to be so disrespectful to you. Your Majesty is a concubine, while Consort Song is just a minor consort. You can certainly use your status as a principal consort to teach Consort Song a lesson, so that she won't become arrogant and presumptuous in the future, daring to ride on Your Majesty's head as a mere minor consort!" Xia Mei said indignantly.

Consort Xian grew angrier the more she thought about it. She stared at Consort Song's smug back for a while in silence, then rushed up behind Consort Song and grabbed her hair from behind.

"You...you're insane!" Consort Song's lips twitched in pain. Just as she was about to realize what was happening, Consort Xian slapped her across the face.

"Noble Lady Song!" Consort Xian gritted her teeth. "This slap is to teach you not to be disrespectful to superiors. There is a distinction between the noble and the lowly in the harem. You still can't see the truth and think you are still the high and mighty Consort De, can you?"

Consort Song covered her burning cheek with one hand, and looked up at Consort Xian with a furious expression. "You dare to hit me?"

Consort Xian sneered, "So what if I hit you? You've been disrespectful, I was just teaching you manners!"

“You…” Consort Song’s face turned ashen with anger.

"Me?" Consort Xian's eyes flashed with coldness, but she smiled. "What? You want to retaliate? If you dare to lay a hand on me, I will definitely report to the Empress and see if she will punish you according to palace rules!"

Consort Song's chest heaved heavily. From the day she followed Emperor Yuanwu, she had always been on equal footing with Consort Xian. Even though Consort Xian usually received more favor than her, Emperor Yuanwu had never shortchanged her in terms of rewards. How could she bear such grievances?

Use the Empress to intimidate her?
Consort Xian is becoming more and more ridiculous. She used to hate the Empress the most and look down on her the most, but now she has to bring her out to support her.

Consort Song slowly straightened up. The hand that had been covering her face fell to her side the moment she stood up. She stared intently at Consort Xian and took a step toward where she was standing.

With just one step, the two were almost touching.

Consort Xian felt a chill run down her spine from the cold gaze. After only a brief moment of eye contact, she quickly gave in. As she lowered her eyes, she subtly took a half-step back, creating a small distance between them.

"Your Highness, you are not feeling well. You have been out for quite some time today. You should go back to the palace to take your medicine first." Pei'er was afraid that she would really start a fight with Consort Xian, so she hurriedly tried to persuade her.

When Consort Song was still the Consort De, Yanxi Palace was always filled with rewards and favors from her mistress, making life easier for the servants. However, since Consort Song was demoted, her life in Yanxi Palace has been far worse than before, and she has to rely on her past savings to make ends meet.

Consort Song was completely devastated. They had finally managed to get her to leave the palace to pay her respects to the Empress. But if she were to get into another fight with Consort Xian and alert the Empress, she feared she would never have a chance to rise again.

If you descend from the rank of Noble Person, then you become a Regular Attendant!

Her perfectly good position as a princess was gone just like that. It was alright, after all, the emperor was considerate of their past relationship. Even though he demoted her, he didn't make her move to another palace. Does that mean that as long as she doesn't make any more mistakes, she will still have a chance to be promoted in the future? But if she is demoted to a lower-ranking concubine, she may never have a chance to rise again!

Consort Xian acted impulsively, but she was still clear-headed. She naturally understood Pei'er's unspoken meaning: wasn't she afraid that Pei'er would cause trouble?
How could she possibly give in to her wishes?
"What? You're chickening out now? Go ahead and fight! Huh? When you rushed over just now, weren't you trying to hit me?" Consort Xian clicked her tongue twice and lightly patted her cheek twice. "Hit me! Go ahead and hit me if you dare!"