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

Chapter 258 Good News

The fact that she didn't come in further proves that the Empress heard everything Consort Xi said.

"Your Majesty, in this way, I'm afraid there will definitely be a rift between the Empress and Consort Xi." Zhang Mama was somewhat speechless.

She didn't really understand what Consort Xi was all about.

In the harem, apart from the Empress Dowager and the Empress, only Consort Rou, who was favored by the Emperor during the initial selection of concubines, lived alone in a palace. There were many concubines in the harem, but the number of palaces was limited. If it weren't for the fact that Consort Xi was the Empress Dowager's cousin, why would the Empress go to such lengths to arrange a room for her to live alone? If more concubines were to enter the palace in the future, all the palaces and halls would be full, and there would probably be no chance for anyone to live alone.

However, because Consort Xi was the Empress Dowager's cousin, Zhang Mama felt that she was somewhat ungrateful and could not say anything to the Empress Dowager. As a result, the Empress would not hold a grudge against someone of low rank, but if the Empress heard Consort Xi say such things to the Empress Dowager, there would definitely be some rift between the Empress and the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager sighed helplessly, "If my cousin had half the temperament of the Empress, I wouldn't have to worry about her every day. She always feels that the Empress deliberately targeted her by letting her live alone in Lingxiang Pavilion. But she has completely forgotten that every time she served the Emperor after entering the palace, it was with the Empress's help behind the scenes. If it weren't for the Empress, she wouldn't be pregnant, and she would still be sitting on the sidelines. Although the Emperor is my biological son, he is still a child who is not under his mother's control after he grows up. He will take a second look at any woman sent to the palace, but he doesn't like any of the women I approve of."

"Your Majesty, please don't think that way. Perhaps those ladies are indeed not favored by the Emperor. If it's a case of targeting, Consort Wen is outstanding in appearance and is also a princess from the Northern Desert. Her entry into the palace was not just to gain the Emperor's favor, but also related to our good relations with the Northern Desert. Even so, she has been in the palace for so long and has never even seen the Emperor's face, let alone received his favor."

Zhang Mama's words seemed to have an effect, and the Empress Dowager's expression finally softened a bit.

After leaving Cining Palace, Shen Qingwan did not go directly back to Kunning Palace, but went to the Imperial Garden. She stared at the boat moored by the lake in silence for a while.

"Zhen'er, last time you had dinner with the Emperor on the ship, you left in a hurry. Did you leave something on the ship and forget to take it?" Shen Qingwan asked.

"Your Majesty, that is indeed true," Zhen'er replied.

"That……"

Shen Qingwan moved her lips, but only managed to utter one word after a long pause. Zhen'er still understood. "Your Highness, a few days ago when Prince Rui entered the palace, he went to rest on the boat and saw the things Your Highness had left behind. The next morning, he had them sent back to Kunning Palace. They were just some insignificant things. I was so busy that I forgot to tell Your Highness about them."

"It's alright." Shen Qingwan said calmly, turning her gaze away from the bed. She glanced at the time and said, "I reckon it'll be time to go to the study in a little while. Have the Imperial Kitchen send lunch to the First Prince so I can check on his studies."

"Your Majesty is so good to the First Prince," Zhen'er said with a smile.

Shen Qingwan sighed, "He was already pitiful enough as a child born without a mother, but the Emperor also treated him..."

Whether the emperor's indifference towards him was real or not, a child's thoughts are simple; he simply believes that he is a child who is not loved by his father.

The servants saw him the same way, believing him to be a prince disliked by the emperor, with no future prospects, and that following him would lead nowhere. No matter how good they were to him, they would not receive any rewards. This led to the scene of the great prince of the Yuan Kingdom being bullied by servants.

"However, Your Highness, although I know I've said this many times, I still can't help but say it again. Although Your Highness means well, sometimes it's best to avoid suspicion. I'm afraid that in the harem, there are many people and many opinions, and some people may not see Your Highness's good intentions as genuine. Instead, they might take advantage of this and think that Your Highness's kindness towards the First Prince is for ulterior motives." This time, Shen Qingwan listened to Zhen'er's words. She didn't refute or say anything, but simply nodded slightly, which was considered an admission.

After lunch, when Shen Qingwan came out of her elder brother's residence, she happened to see Prince Rui entering the palace from afar. She was slightly taken aback. Prince Rui walked hurriedly, heading straight towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Prince Rui has entered the palace!

Shen Qingwan stared at his back, her eyes growing increasingly dark.

"Your Majesty," Zhen'er said cautiously, glancing around to make sure no one was watching, before speaking softly, "Your Majesty, let's go back to the palace."

Shen Qingwan nodded lightly, "Okay."

Before Prince Rui even reached the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Wu Jixiang went inside first.

"Your Majesty, a messenger just arrived with urgent news that after Physician Zhang arrived in Lingnan, General Pang's condition has temporarily stabilized. However, Physician Zhang and several other physicians have not yet found a way to detoxify General Pang. At least he has been given a second chance at life." After saying this, Wu Jixiang glanced at Emperor Yuanwu with lingering fear.

As expected, when Emperor Yuanwu heard the words "the situation has stabilized," his hand holding the pen paused heavily.

His eyes and brows revealed a cold sharpness, but he smiled and said, "Doctor Zhang truly deserves to be called the best in the Imperial Medical Academy. His medical skills are superb."

Wu Jixiang's expression was somewhat indescribable. He knew that Emperor Yuanwu was being sarcastic, but he still forced himself to say, "What Your Majesty says is very true."

"Heh." Emperor Yuanwu sneered, "It's hard on Consort Xian. She kowtowed until her head bled at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation because of her father's illness. If she had known that General Pang was so lucky, she wouldn't have needed to do that. Have you told Consort Xian this good news so that she won't worry about her father and lose sleep over it?"

"Your Majesty, as soon as I heard the news, I came in to tell you the good news. I haven't had time to send someone to Jingyang Palace to deliver the message yet. However, in my opinion, Consort Xian should have known about this good news first."

Upon hearing Wu Jixiang's words, Emperor Yuanwu slowly raised his head and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Wu Jixiang looked troubled. "Your Majesty, it's not a big deal. This morning, when the concubines went to Kunning Palace to pay their respects to the Empress, Consort Xian and Noble Lady Song suddenly started arguing at the entrance of Kunning Palace."

"They started arguing?" Emperor Yuanwu frowned incredulously.

Wu Jixiang nodded firmly, "They did argue. At first, Consort Song didn't argue with Consort Xian. She was walking ahead and was about to return to the palace when Consort Xian caught up from behind and slapped Consort Song."