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

Chapter 288 Safety
Consort Xian forced a smile and stood up from the ground. She wiped the blood seeping from the corner of her lips with the back of her hand and said through gritted teeth, "Your Majesty the Empress."

Shen Qingwan released her grip on her collar and stood up straight, but her gaze remained deep and unwavering.

"You dare to beat a concubine in the harem for the sake of a mere servant? Aren't you afraid I'll tell the Emperor?" Consort Xian sneered.

Everyone in the harem knows that the Empress and Consort Xian have been at odds for years.

Later, Consort Xian was demoted, and no one would compare the two anymore.

But now the Emperor has restored Consort Xian's title of Consort, and in addition, no matter whose son the Third Prince is raised, he is still Consort Xian's biological son.

A concubine with offspring is of noble status, though slightly inferior to the Empress. However, once the Third Prince grows up, if he becomes a mad prince or the Crown Prince, he will surpass the Empress.

Before this, although the Empress and Consort Xian tacitly understood each other, they maintained a semblance of civility on the surface, though they were secretly competing with each other. But now, over a palace maid, they've completely broken off their facade...

Su Tianhe could tell that Consort Xian was deliberately provoking the Empress. She knew that the Empress didn't care about anything else, but she cared most about the servants around her. She just wanted to drag someone down with her when she was in trouble.

Even the most composed person like Shen Qingwan can lose control when she's angry.

Su Tianhe reached out and tugged at Shen Qingwan's arm. "Your Majesty, apart from Consort Wen, I have checked everyone else here, and there are no problems. Why don't we go back to the palace first?"

Shen Qingwan breathed a long sigh of relief. She understood what Su Tianhe meant; he didn't want her to continue getting entangled with this crazy woman.

Zhen'er had already been hit, and she returned the favor.

Now that she is unwilling to cooperate with the investigation and is deliberately causing trouble, if we continue to harass her, I'm afraid that even if I am in the right, I will end up in the wrong.

Shen Qingwan breathed a long sigh of relief and turned to ask, "Who else from Jingyang Palace hasn't been investigated?"

"Your Majesty, only Consort Wen remains. She has taken her medicine and is already asleep."

"Go investigate." Shen Qingwan didn't hesitate for a moment.

Originally, this matter was caused by Consort Wen, and she was just following the Emperor's orders to investigate thoroughly. If we skip the investigation because she fell asleep, then the results of the investigation will probably not be convincing to the public.

Although Consort Wen has been in the palace for so long, and has always lived in the same palace as Consort Xian, there has never been any news of any closeness between them. Even when Consort Xian and Consort Ruan fought in the palace last time, she just watched coldly. Now that she hears that the Emperor has restored Consort Xian's title, she rushes to curry favor with him, not knowing that she is only trying to win his favor and has only made things worse.

Su Tianhe was startled, paused, and then said, "Yes."

He had someone fetch a basin of clean water and led Physician Zhao into Consort Wen's bedroom. Upon seeing this, Green Pine stood up from the ground and followed them inside.

She walked quickly and hurriedly, taking two steps at a time, and sat down beside Consort Wen's bedside before Su Tianhe and Physician Zhao.

She gently patted Consort Wen twice. Consort Wen, her face deathly pale, slowly opened her eyes. She seemed to be trying to recognize something, staring at the person in front of her for a long while before weakly saying, "This is…"

“Your Majesty,” Green Pine explained, “Your Majesty, please don’t panic. It is the Empress who has come to help investigate your poisoning. Just put your hand in this basin of water for a moment.”

Is your hand in the basin of water?
Consort Wen had no idea what was happening outside, nor did she know what the Empress meant by telling her to put her hands in the basin of water.

Seeing the silver needle in the imperial physician's hand, she seemed to guess something, her eyelids twitched imperceptibly, and she felt uneasy.

"Your Majesty, please do not panic. Everyone in Jingyang Palace has been checked. Your Majesty does not need to do anything. Just soak your hands in water for a moment, and then this servant can go back to report to Her Majesty the Empress."

Consort Wen was still somewhat hesitant.

But it sounds like it's the Empress's idea, and everyone has already been checked by the police.

Everyone?
Does this include Consort Xian?
She didn't want to undergo this so-called self-examination, but if she didn't cooperate, she suddenly found herself in a difficult situation.

"This..." Consort Wen forced a smile on her pale face. "I am feeling very unwell right now. If you want me to have any tests done, could Eunuch Su come a little later? I am really not feeling well right now, and I'm afraid I'll have to make you come all the way here."

Su Tianhe looked troubled. “This servant knows that the toxins in Your Highness’s body have not been completely cleared, but His Majesty and the Empress want to find out the real culprit as soon as possible and seek justice for Your Highness. Your Highness just needs to lie down and raise your hand. The rest is up to this servant.”

Green Pine supported Consort Wen with both hands, moved her lips as if to say something, but before she could open her mouth, Su Tianhe had already given a wink to the people behind her. Another eunuch came to help Su Tianhe carry the basin of water. Su Tianhe bowed and said, "Your Majesty, then this servant will offend you."

Consort Wen pursed her lips deeply and barely managed to raise her hand.

Su Tianhe immersed her hand in the basin of clean water. Although it was springtime, the weather was still cool. The moment her hand entered the water, her already weak body shivered from the cold.

"Your Highness, are you alright?" Green Pine hurriedly took a silk handkerchief and wiped the water off her hands.

Consort Wen slowly shook her head. She took several deep breaths before looking up at Su Tianhe. "Eunuch Su, is this alright?"

"If she's better, please leave now, Eunuch Su. Our lady needs to rest," Green Pine added.

Consort Wen subtly squeezed Green Pine's hand, frowning as she gestured to her that she shouldn't speak to Su Tianhe like that.

Although Su Tianhe was a servant, he was still someone close to the Empress. Sometimes, even the concubines in the harem didn't have as much influence as these close servants.

Green Pine had already been reprimanded by Consort Wen for this matter more than once, so she dared not say anything more. However, she did not think she was wrong, so she quickly lowered her eyes. She just felt that many of the rules in the harem were really outrageous, unlike the unrestrained nature of the people of the Northern Desert. She had lived in the Northern Desert since childhood and was used to being unrestrained. She always felt that the Yuan Kingdom's palace was like a gilded cage. Although it was gorgeous, it had no freedom, and every word and action was restricted.

"Please don't take offense, Eunuch Su. Green Pine was only concerned for my safety and had no intention of offending you..."

Before Consort Wen could finish speaking, she saw Su Tianhe frown and follow his gaze. Consort Wen's heart skipped a beat...