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

Chapter 277 Whispers

Shen Qingwan had absolutely no idea when the two of them had gotten together.

"What did they say?" Shen Qingwan asked.

"Your Majesty, when I came from the backyard, the two of them should have been standing outside the door for a while. I didn't hear very clearly, but I saw Consort Rou helping Consort De lift the curtain of the main hall. Judging from Consort Rou's appearance, she seemed to be very... ingratiating towards Consort De."

As Su Tianhe spoke, he glanced at Shen Qingwan with lingering fear: "Your Majesty, please don't be angry. I was just feeling comfortable before. I will be more careful with the two of them in the future."

Shen Qingwan responded, her eyes revealing a cold sharpness.

Su Tianhe was always cautious in his actions, and perhaps he was really angry about this matter, so he couldn't help but say a few more words, "It's a pity that the Empress has always been so good to her. Although the Emperor did not promote her after she gave birth to the Fourth Prince, that was only the Emperor's will. What does it have to do with the Empress?"

Shen Qingwan smiled at Su Tianhe as if to comfort him, "It's alright. Besides, everything I've done is only for the Emperor's sake, and I don't need her to repay me in any way."

She understood why Su Tianhe was so angry when he saw the two of them together.

Although she never intentionally helped anyone, she only let Consort Rou live alone in Zhongcui Palace because Emperor Yuanwu liked her. She was indifferent to her at first, but later Consort Rou took the initiative to befriend her and said more than once that she wanted to entrust her child to her to raise. Even when she was framed during childbirth, she found a way to help her clear her name. If she hadn't taken action, the Fourth Prince would probably have been executed as a nemesis, and she would have had no chance to keep her position as a consort. She would probably be helpless no matter where she is now.

She's only just finished her postpartum confinement period, and she's already trying to win over the concubines in the harem. Whether it's for the future or to pave the way for the Fourth Prince, making it too obvious will only backfire.

It is her own choice who she wants to be close to, and if anything happens in the future, she should be held accountable for her actions.

Since Consort De was frightened into losing her mind on the anniversary of Consort Li's death, although Imperial Physician Zhang has been miraculously cured and she has recovered with medication, Consort De has heard that her mental state is now unpredictable, and her emotions are completely out of control. She can laugh or get angry at the drop of a hat.

Mental health issues are not like physical ailments that can be cured simply by taking medication on time.

Such people often seem like ordinary people, but once they are provoked, their pent-up emotions may explode in an instant, and at that moment...

"Oh, right, there's something I need you to handle personally. After the palace maids leave the palace this time, take this opportunity to add a few more servants to the temporary palace. The temporary palace is full of the late emperor's concubines, so the new maids sent there must be reliable and honest. Don't do anything that would be a waste of good intentions and cause them trouble." Shen Qingwan instructed earnestly.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Although Su Tianhe didn't understand why the Empress was so concerned about the temporary palace, he felt that everything she did seemed to have its reasons. "Your Majesty, Xiaoling, who served in our palace before, has finished her family affairs. Her mother has passed away, and she is all alone. She wants to continue serving in the palace and sent someone to deliver a message, but she is still in mourning. I'm afraid it will be difficult for her to return to Kunning Palace to serve. I will ask her what she thinks later. If she just wants to find a place to stay, going to the temporary palace might be a good choice. But I'm afraid that if we arrange it this way, some people might be suspicious and think that Xiaoling was someone Your Majesty deliberately arranged to be at the temporary palace, which would put Your Majesty in a difficult position."

Shen Qingwan frowned deeply as she listened to Su Tianhe's words.

His concerns weren't unfounded. After all, there were always some people who, despite the chaos in their own palace, wouldn't forget to gossip behind people's backs, saying whatever came to mind. However, Xiaoling was also a pitiful child. She was sent to the palace to serve others at a very young age, and her mother passed away just as she turned nineteen.

"What others say doesn't matter. If she's willing, let her go to the palace to serve first. If I remember correctly, every year after July, the Empress Dowager and some of the concubines go to the palace to escape the summer heat. If I go this year too, I can just find an excuse to bring her back. Even if some people are saying something behind her back, as long as I bring her back, all the rumors will disappear on their own..."

Before Shen Qingwan could finish speaking, Emperor Yuanwu lifted the curtain and walked in.

"Your Majesty?" Shen Qingwan hurriedly stood up and bowed. "I thought Your Majesty would be here a while later. I didn't expect you to arrive so late. I haven't prepared anything yet."

Emperor Yuanwu looked at her meaningfully, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes: "Is the Empress making preparations in advance because I am coming, or is she afraid that I will come suddenly and hear you and your servants whispering something?"

Whispering?
These three words sent a chill down Su Tianhe's spine as he stood to the side.

Finished!

He really caused trouble for his wife this time.

"Your Majesty..." Su Tianhe was about to kneel down. Regardless of whether the Emperor had really misunderstood, he wanted to take all the blame upon himself and not make things difficult for the Empress. However, he only managed to utter half a syllable of "Your Majesty" before Shen Qingwan spoke up first.

“Your Majesty, what I meant by preparing in advance was that I saw a rather novel dish in the recipe book and was thinking of making it tonight to try. If Your Majesty had told me earlier that you would be coming over for lunch today, I would have had it prepared early this morning. As for what Your Majesty whispered, I really don’t know what Your Majesty was referring to.” Shen Qingwan turned her head to look at him.

Emperor Yuanwu was taken aback, then smiled. “Anyway, I’ve had lunch and there’s nothing special going on. Since the Empress has a new dish, why not have someone prepare it now? It’s just one dish; I can wait. It won’t take much effort.”

Shen Qingwan: ...

She really couldn't understand how the Imperial Kitchen managed to turn an emperor into someone with the stomach of a starving ghost. Every time she came to Kunning Palace, she felt like she had never eaten.

“Your Majesty, the dish I saw was braised pork with hawthorn. Putting aside the hawthorn for now, the braised pork alone will not be tender and flavorful without simmering over low heat for one or two hours. If Your Majesty asks me to make it now, I'm afraid it will really be too late for lunch. Moreover, I just saw this dish and have never tried it before. If Your Majesty really wants to eat it, why not give me some time to make it and try it first? If it tastes good, then it's not too late to make it for Your Majesty.”

Although Emperor Yuanwu nodded in agreement, his face was filled with disappointment.

Shen Qingwan: ...

"However, Your Majesty..."