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

Chapter 276 Eight Words

"If His Majesty really does that, then... wouldn't those court officials who submitted memorials impeaching General Pang be slapped in the face?"

“Even if General Pang was wrong, he is already dead. Perhaps the Emperor felt that he had already dealt with General Pang and did not want to take his anger out on others. After all, Consort Xian had been by the Emperor's side since she was a teenager, and she did not know what her father had done.”

"It's hard to say, it's really hard to say..."

Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, Shen Qingwan paused, her hand holding the teacup still for a moment.

Consort Xian knelt down in front of Wu Jixiang.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Consort Xian, née Pang, is virtuous, prudent, diligent, and gentle. She is hereby conferred the title of Noble Consort Xian. This is the imperial decree."

Wu Jixiang was still in a daze for a while after reading the imperial edict, until he bowed and reminded her, "Your Highness, it is time for you to rise and express your gratitude."

She suddenly came to her senses, knelt on the ground and kowtowed, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

Consort Xian took the imperial edict and stood up from the ground. The entire Kunning Palace fell into a deathly silence, and the sound of Consort Xian's skirt rustling all day long could be clearly heard.

With Wu Jixiang's departure, the guards at the entrance of Kunning Palace also withdrew, and the inner palace was as quiet as if nothing had just happened.

There were no congratulatory remarks, no blessings, and everyone left in unusual quiet. Unlike usual, when they would walk in twos and threes after paying their respects to the Empress, they all lowered their heads and silently walked towards their own palaces.

"Your Majesty, wasn't the Pang family all brought down? Why did His Majesty suddenly reinstate Consort Xian's rank as Imperial Noble Consort?"

Zhen'er grew angrier as she spoke, and her face turned a little pale.

I wonder what the Emperor heard Consort Xian say in her palace last night that made him make such a decision.

However, the last sentence was too disrespectful, and she dared not say it to Shen Qingwan's face.

Is it due to virtuous and cautious nature, diligence and gentleness?
It is unclear how the Emperor actually interpreted these eight characters.

In any case, in the eyes of others, Consort Xian's character had absolutely nothing to do with those eight words.

Consort Xian was never kind to the servants in the palace. She would even poison her personal maid if she displeased her.

Her gentleness and kindness were probably reserved only for Emperor Yuanwu.

The other concubines in the palace all coveted the position of Imperial Noble Consort.
Consort Xian was the most restless woman in the harem; what she always coveted was the Empress's throne.

Once the Emperor issues the decree of investiture, if there is another major conferment in the harem, wouldn't Consort Xian be promoted to Imperial Noble Consort? Then, half of the harem would truly share her surname, Pang.

But why did she notice that her master didn't seem anxious at all and even had the mood to read a book? When Zhen'er looked closely, she realized that what he was reading wasn't a book at all, but a recipe.

Zhen'er: ...

"Go tell the imperial kitchen that I want braised duck with ginseng, chrysanthemum fish, stir-fried shiitake mushrooms with tea tree mushrooms, and a simple vegetable dish and soup. No staple food, I'm not particularly hungry." Shen Qingwan thought seriously for a moment, "Never mind, I'll skip the braised duck with ginseng and just have some stir-fried mutton. Tell the imperial kitchen to add extra scallions, as I don't really like the strong smell of mutton."

Zhen'er: ... "Yes, Your Highness, this servant will go right away."

After Zhen'er left, Su Tianhe came in. "Your Majesty, the Emperor just sent word that he will be having lunch at Kunning Palace later."

"Your Majesty has been busy with the court lately, how come you suddenly have free time?" Shen Qingwan frowned, seemingly a little dissatisfied.

Su Tianhe gave an awkward laugh. "This servant knows that Your Majesty is unhappy about the recent conferment of the title of Imperial Concubine. However, I think Your Majesty must have other plans. Perhaps Your Majesty is also considering what General Pang did when Your Majesty ascended the throne, which is why Your Majesty is treating the Imperial Concubine so well. Your Majesty, please put your mind at ease and don't take it to heart."

Hearing his words, Shen Qingwan looked up at him, puzzled. "What are you thinking? How could I possibly be thinking about this?"

"what?"

Su Tianhe was utterly shocked.

"Then why, Your Highness?"

"I thought about it for a long time before I could decide what to have for lunch, but the Emperor is coming over and he's determined to take the dishes I ordered from me."

Shen Qingwan felt even more annoyed when she thought about how Emperor Yuanwu had devoured all her favorite dishes when he came over earlier. She wondered what the people in the Imperial Kitchen were doing all day. Why couldn't they research recipes and make some dishes that Emperor Yuanwu liked? It was as if he was eating a bitter melon in Kunning Palace and it was some kind of delicacy.

The thought that I might not be able to enjoy my afternoon meal to the fullest made me feel uneasy.

It’s just... very annoying!
Su Tianhe: ? ? ?

Su Tianhe struggled to find himself. He suddenly remembered how the Consort Gui and Consort De had caused a scene at Kunning Palace over a pair of mandarin duck bibs. After the Empress sent them away, she brought back a table full of crabs to eat. At the time, he thought the Empress was just venting her anger, but now it seemed she might actually want to eat them.

"Then this servant will have the Imperial Kitchen prepare a few more of His Majesty's favorite dishes and send them over."

Shen Qingwan remained silent, only nodding slightly, and continued looking at the recipe in her hand. She was drawn to a dish of braised pork with hawthorn.

I've never tried this combination before. Braised pork with the sweet and sour taste of hawthorn should be refreshing. If I have nothing to do after lunch, I could try making some and save it for dinner.

As for Emperor Yuanwu coming over and asking the imperial kitchen to prepare more dishes, there's probably no need to give any instructions. Those servants who cater to different people will simply fill the table with the dishes that Emperor Yuanwu usually likes to eat.

This was not something she needed to worry about at all. It was just that the people in the imperial kitchen never knew how to be flexible. They simply thought that as long as it was something the emperor liked to eat, they should send it to him. If the emperor was happy, he would reward them with something. But no matter how much they liked to eat, if they saw it every day and ate it every day, there would be no novelty left.

"Oh, Your Majesty, there's something else, but I'm not sure if I should say it." Su Tianhe hesitated.

Shen Qingwan closed the cookbook in her hand and slowly raised her eyes. "What is it?"

"This morning, the concubines from all the palaces came to pay their respects to Your Highness. I happened to be teaching some new servants etiquette in the backyard when I overheard Consort De and Consort Rou talking at the entrance of the main hall."

Consort De and Consort Rou?
Shen Qingwan knew in her heart that Su Tianhe's willingness to come to her to talk about this matter meant that it was definitely not as simple as the two of them just bumping into each other at the door.

After Consort Rou entered the palace, she lived in Zhongcui Palace and soon became pregnant. She was exempted from the morning greetings. Consort De was punished and then locked herself in the palace and refused to come out.