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

Chapter 257 Not the taste
“But Aunt, I don’t want this blessing at all. If Her Majesty the Empress thinks this is a blessing, she can give it to someone else…”

Shen Qingwan frowned slightly and pulled her leg back from the entrance. "Let's go back to the palace."

Zhen'er glanced in the direction of Consort Xi, then followed Shen Qingwan back to the palace.

As soon as Zhang Mama finished speaking with Shen Qingwan, she went to the small kitchen to ask someone to check if the medicine the Empress Dowager needed had been brewed. She also asked someone to make a pot of tea for the Empress, knowing that the Empress usually liked to drink tea.

When she arrived at the palace with a pot of tea, she was slightly taken aback to find that the Empress was not there.

"Has Her Majesty the Empress returned so soon? I specially brewed her favorite chrysanthemum tea." As she spoke, Zhang Mama placed the pot of chrysanthemum tea on the table.

"The Empress has been here?" The Empress Dowager sat up straight and peered towards the palace gate.

“I did see Her Majesty the Empress when I was at the door. I watched her come in and then went to the small kitchen,” said Zhang Mama.

This……

The Empress Dowager suddenly realized that the Empress must have overheard her conversation with Consort Xi at the door, which was why she didn't come in.

Zhang Mama realized this at this moment, her face full of self-reproach. "Your Majesty, please forgive me. It was my carelessness. In the past, when Her Majesty the Empress came, she always went straight in and out without being announced. But I never expected Her Majesty the Empress to come today..."

"It's all my fault, I'll go and accept my punishment right away."

As Zhang Mama turned to leave, the Empress Dowager stopped her, saying, "This is not your fault. Perhaps the Empress has other matters to attend to. It's not too late to come over after she's finished."

"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager." Zhang Mama curtsied and left the palace.

The moment the palace door closed, Consort Xi drawled, "Aunt..."

"Look at what you've done!"

The Empress Dowager's eyes were cold and indifferent as she pursed her lips deeply.

The Empress must have overheard her conversation with Consort Xi at the door; otherwise, why would she have come all this way and left without a word?

As for what he heard, and how much he heard...

However, the Empress must have heard Consort Xi's complaints about her being asked to move to Lingxiang Pavilion.

“Aunt, how can you blame me for this? Who would have thought that she, a dignified empress, would do something like eavesdropping outside the door? How can someone as undignified as her be worthy of being the empress of a nation!”

Xi was filled with resentment, especially because of the pot of tea brewed by Zhang Mama in front of her, which filled the entire palace with a faint fragrance of osmanthus. Everyone in the palace knew that osmanthus tea was the Empress's favorite. She used to serve osmanthus tea to the concubines who came to pay their respects in Kunning Palace because she liked it. She also gave a little osmanthus tea from her palace to everyone in the harem.

It's already spring, but osmanthus flowers bloom every autumn. More than half a year has passed, and the Empress Dowager doesn't like chrysanthemum tea. Yet, there are still osmanthus flowers in Cining Palace at this time of year. This is clearly prepared specially for the Empress.

Even though she was the Empress Dowager's own niece, she didn't receive the same treatment in the Cining Palace. It seemed that every time she came, she was served whatever tea was available in the Cining Palace, and no one ever paid any attention to her tastes or preferences. Once this suspicion was confirmed in her mind, Consort Xi felt an indescribable unease.

"Consort Xi." The Empress Dowager's face darkened. "Although you are my own niece, do not forget that since you are in the harem, you are also one of the Emperor's concubines. Since the Emperor has made her Empress, it means that in the Emperor's heart, she is worthy of being the mother of the nation."

"Auntie is giving the Empress far too much credit. You know better than anyone how she became Empress. Does the Emperor think she can rule the world or cause chaos? I'm afraid she won't share this bitterness with you, Auntie." Consort Xi muttered under her breath, looking unconvinced as she listened to the Empress Dowager's reprimand.

Although she spoke very softly, and could barely hear the last few words herself, the Cining Palace was already so quiet that you could hear a pin drop because the Empress Dowager's face was grim. Every word she said reached the Empress Dowager's ears.

The Empress Dowager was furious, but she tried her best to suppress her anger and said coldly, "Do you think you won't be punished because you're pregnant?"

Consort Xi turned pale with fright and knelt on the ground. "Aunt, that's not what I meant. I was just angry and complained a bit."

"Complain?" The Empress Dowager was no longer as kind as before. She sneered, exuding an air of authority. "I think you're quite reckless with your words, daring to even speculate on the Emperor's thoughts. When was the last time he told you, in front of you, that he didn't like the Empress? Or did he complain to you that Shen Qingwan was not up to the task of being Empress?"

"No." Consort Xi shook her head like a rattle-drum. "Aunt, please forgive me. I was just talking nonsense. I acted impulsively and spoke without thinking."

The Empress Dowager stared at her for a while, then said helplessly, "Alright, if there's nothing else, go back now. I'm tired."

Consort Xia's eyes reddened with anxiety, "Aunt..."

Before she could finish speaking, the Empress Dowager stood up, leaving her with her departing figure.

It's not that she didn't want to wait, it's that she simply didn't want to listen.

The Empress Dowager's anger paled in comparison to her disappointment.

From the time of the selection to the present, how much did she do behind the scenes to help her rise to power? How many things did she say that she shouldn't have said in front of the Empress? Everyone thought that she was finally pregnant, and even if she was not favored, she would have someone to rely on in the future, and that she would become noble because of her son.

But little did I expect, he was also a brainless person.

For someone like her to want to be empress, it seems that even the nobles are giving her too much credit.

Zhang Mama helped the Empress Dowager lie down on the bed. Seeing her listless and sighing, she couldn't help but sigh, "Your Majesty, don't worry too much. Maybe the Empress just had something urgent to attend to and left. She may not have heard what Consort Xi said."

Even Zhang Mama herself didn't believe what she was saying, but seeing the Empress Dowager's worried face, she couldn't help but offer a few words of advice.

The Empress Dowager sighed deeply, "The Empress is a smart woman. Even if she hears something she shouldn't hear, she will pretend she didn't."

"The Empress Dowager is becoming increasingly satisfied with the Empress." The Empress Dowager closed her eyes, leaning against the bedside, while Zhang Mama massaged her temples. "But how did the Empress Dowager know that the Empress had just overheard what Consort Xi said? Didn't you see the Empress come over?"

The Empress Dowager was extremely annoyed: "Think about it, if the Empress hadn't heard what Consort Xi said, she would have already reached the palace gate. Why didn't she come in? Since she came to show her filial piety, even if she had something urgent to attend to, she should at least show her face in front of me to prove that she came. It wouldn't have taken up much time..."