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

Chapter 256 Blessing
Just as Consort Song was about to raise her hand, Pei'er hugged her tightly from behind. "Your Majesty, please! I beg you to come back to the palace with me immediately. You have been out for quite some time. Although it is spring, the weather is still cold. Please go back to the palace and put on some warm clothes. Do not delay any longer."

Consort Song was seething with anger. She and Consort Xian had been at odds for so many years, how could she tolerate such provocation? But Pei'er was holding her too tightly and kept trying to persuade her. Several palace maids and eunuchs who had come with her to pay their respects to the Empress also joined in the persuasion.

"Yes, Your Majesty, getting angry is bad for your health. Aunt Pei'er is right. Let's go back to the palace first."

"Your Majesty, when you left this morning, the palace was preparing medicine. I reckon it should be ready by now. If there's anything, let's wait until you return to the palace, take the medicine, and recover before discussing it further."

"Your Majesty, the imperial physician said that if the medicine gets cold, its effectiveness may be reduced. Let's go back to the palace, take the medicine first, and then we can discuss this further."

"..."

Consort Song's anger subsided by half after being persuaded. Although she showed no intention of backing down, she was ultimately less angry.

Seeing that she seemed to be about to give in, Pei'er hurriedly gave a wink to the people behind her, and several servants pulled and dragged her toward Yanxi Palace.

After the concubines left, Shen Qingwan changed her clothes and prepared to go to Cining Palace to see the Empress Dowager.

After such a commotion yesterday, as the Empress, she had to go there in person this morning, no matter what. It wouldn't be right if she didn't.

I had just stepped out of Kunning Palace when I saw this scene.

"Your Majesty, this Consort Xian really can't stay still for a moment. She can't stand not causing some trouble." Zhen'er couldn't help but mutter to herself.

"General Pang's fate is uncertain, yet Consort Xian is still causing trouble in the harem at this time. This shows how filial she is. She's only worried that if her father were to pass away one day, he wouldn't be able to protect her. I don't see how much she cares about her father's safety at all," Su Tianhe added.

Shen Qingwan listened to their conversation and simply said, "Go to Cining Palace."

However, she had another thought at this moment. Pei'er, who was by Consort Song's side, was quite clear-headed. Since she was demoted to Consort, she had never come to Kunning Palace to pay her respects. If she caused a lot of trouble on her first visit, she would probably have a hard time maintaining her position in the future. Consort Xian's provocation would surely have been met with Consort Song's usual behavior, and she would have taken advantage of the situation to climb up the social ladder, eventually causing things to get out of control. But now, with Pei'er by her side, she not only protected her when things went wrong, but also helped her avoid punishment.

On the contrary, looking at Xia Mei beside Consort Xian, she didn't say a word from beginning to end. Not only did she not advise her mistress to calm down, but she also watched as Consort Xian stirred up trouble without even stepping forward to join in, acting like a spectator.

There are differences between even the most trusted palace maids. Sometimes, those around a maid may seem to be advising their mistress and enduring the situation silently, but they are actually helping their mistress avoid a lot of trouble.

Shen Qingwan thought about it carefully. This Xia Mei seemed to have been serving Consort Qi before. After Consort Qi passed away, Consort Xian happened to be short of a personal maid, so the Imperial Household Department arranged for her to serve Consort Xian.

Shen Qingwan's smug carriage quickly arrived at Cining Palace. When she reached the entrance of her bedchamber, Zhang Mama was waiting there. "Zhang Mama," Shen Qingwan said, somewhat surprised, but her face still wore its usual smile.

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress." Zhang Mama bowed respectfully upon seeing the Empress.

Shen Qingwan was somewhat surprised. "Why is Granny Zhang waiting outside the palace today? Is there someone important in the Empress Dowager's palace? I will come to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager another day."

"Your Majesty is overthinking it. I just went to the small kitchen to check on the soup Your Majesty the Empress Dowager will be using. When I came back, I saw Consort Xi talking to the Empress Dowager inside, so I didn't go in directly." Zhang Mama thought that when the Empress came before, she had also encountered Consort Xi there, and the Empress Dowager didn't seem to be displeased when she went in directly. She said gently, "Your Majesty, please go in directly."

Shen Qingwan was taken aback, thinking that the Empress Dowager had given Zhang Mama some instructions beforehand.

In the past, if the Empress Dowager was unwell the day before, she would come to check on her the next day to put her mind at ease.

Shen Qingwan originally didn't want to go in, but she was afraid that the Empress Dowager would find out that she had come. She had heard that Consort Xi had turned back after walking to the door, and it would not be good if word got out, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and go in.

As she stepped into the gate of Cining Palace, she heard Consort Xi crying to the Empress Dowager, "Aunt, it's all my fault. You were so ill yesterday, and I didn't even know. If I hadn't gone for a walk in the Imperial Garden today and overheard two maids chatting, I'd probably still be in the dark."

"Why are you crying all of a sudden? Alright, alright, you're pregnant now. Don't kneel down all the time. Aren't you afraid of hurting the baby?" The Empress Dowager complained, but still got up and helped her up from the ground.

"Aunt, I told you not to live alone in Lingxiang Pavilion. I feel so isolated now, I don't know anything about what's happening in the palace." Consort Xi said, sniffling pitifully, tears streaming down her face. "Even the fact that you fainted yesterday, I only heard about it from the maids this morning, Aunt..."

"I didn't tell you because you're pregnant and I was afraid you'd worry if you knew, not because I was deliberately hiding it from you." The Empress Dowager's face was full of kindness as she reached out and patted her head. "At this time, nothing is more important than the imperial heir in your womb."

“But…Aunt!” Consort Xi wiped away her tears and looked up at the Empress Dowager. “I really don’t understand. I’m living perfectly well in Xianfu Palace. Moreover, the head of Xianfu Palace is Consort Jin. Consort Jin is gentle and has no children. Even if I give birth to a royal heir in the future, even if I am promoted, I will only be a concubine. This will not threaten Consort Jin’s position, nor will it have any impact on me. Why does Her Majesty the Empress insist on making me move out of Xianfu Palace? She just can’t stand seeing others living better than her…”

Shen Qingwan: ...

She really came at the worst possible time!
The Empress Dowager and Consort Xi were having a private conversation behind closed doors, but it wasn't a private conversation at all; Consort Xi overheard everything they said.

Shen Qingwan hesitated, wondering whether she should go in or not.

The Empress Dowager spoke first, her tone gentle and patient, "The Empress is doing this for your own good. In the harem, the blessing of living alone is not something that everyone can have just because they want it."