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

Chapter 293 Making a fuss out of a molehill
However, there was still Consort Xi in the Empress Dowager's palace at this time.

She felt awkward and didn't want to stay, but she didn't want to offend anyone too much.

While Shen Qingwan was hesitating, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of Consort Xi looking at the Empress Dowager with a look of disgust, seemingly very dissatisfied that the Empress Dowager had asked her to stay for lunch.

Yes!

She was the legal wife, and he was the concubine. She stayed for lunch, and the four of them sat together. Indeed, she felt more comfortable without her.

But if she hadn't acted this way, Shen Qingwan really was planning to find some excuse to leave. But the more she didn't want her to stay, the more she insisted on staying.

Her favorite thing to do is make those who dislike her feel uncomfortable.

Shen Qingwan not only wanted to stay for lunch, but also wanted to take the opportunity to disgust her.

From the moment Consort Xi entered the palace, she not only failed to win the Emperor's favor but also had a particular fondness for vying for his attention. She originally thought that the reason Emperor Yuanwu disliked her was because she was someone the Empress Dowager had placed by his side, which was why he was so resistant to her. Now it seems that it may not necessarily have anything to do with the Empress Dowager.

Emperor Yuanwu disliked her, perhaps simply because she was brainless. Among the many concubines in the harem, none of them came from noble families. Even if they were not well-read, they all grew up in very good environments, learning the strictest rules and witnessing the various struggles in the inner palace.

When she first transmigrated into the body of the original owner, the original owner was brainless and spent all her time picking fights with the concubines in the harem and endlessly arguing with Emperor Yuanwu.

Emperor Yuanwu spent most of his time at Jingyang Palace. At that time, it was thought that Emperor Yuanwu was very fond of Consort Xian, but now it seems that this is not the case.

Consort Xian never knew that all the favor she received came from her maternal family, and that Emperor Yuanwu's affection for her was merely a pawn to use her family and make her a tool for his internal and external affairs.

Consort Shu and Consort Jin did not receive exclusive favor, but their affection was steady and enduring.

The imperial harem is always a place where new faces emerge constantly. A favored concubine may only be a passing fancy, and once the novelty wears off, it may be gone. But a steady and lasting favor is the most difficult to maintain. Once the novelty wears off and new faces are around, the person who can still make Emperor Yuanwu think of from time to time must be someone with brains.

She had helped Consort Xi so many times in the past because she was a distant cousin of the Empress Dowager, but now it seems that the other party is not grateful at all and is finding fault with her at every turn.

"Since Your Majesty is so kind, I will stay and have lunch with you and the Emperor before returning home," Shen Qingwan said leisurely.

Xi Guiren: ...

Just as they were talking, Physician Zhang walked in.

He first bowed to everyone, saying, "May the Empress Dowager be blessed, may the Empress be blessed, and may Consort Xi be blessed."

"Physician Zhang, there's no need for such formalities. Consort Xi is feeling a bit nauseous and has to trouble you to take her pulse," the Empress Dowager said kindly.

The palace maid helped Consort Xi to lie down on the chaise lounge, with Imperial Physician Zhang kneeling beside her, while Shen Qingwan remained seated at a distance.

Seeing that the Empress Dowager did not move, she did not move either.

Physician Zhang took Consort Xi's pulse for a long time before solemnly saying, "Consort Xi is prone to overthinking during her pregnancy. She should pay attention to maintaining a peaceful state of mind to avoid disturbing the fetus."

Fetal fluid?

Consort Xi's face paled, and she forced a smile. "Imperial Physician Zhang, don't scare me. I was just feeling a little nauseous. How could it have affected the pregnancy so badly?" "Your Majesty, I just took your pulse. Your pulse was irregular and weak. Although it wasn't obvious, it did indicate that the pregnancy had been affected. If Your Majesty wants the pregnancy to be stable, you should rest in bed and try to avoid going out too much. Don't worry too much and affect the pregnancy."

The Empress Dowager hadn't taken Consort Xi's sudden nausea to heart, but upon hearing what Physician Zhang said, she instantly became tense.

She got up and walked towards the chaise lounge where Consort Xi was lying. Since the Empress Dowager had moved, Shen Qingwan naturally couldn't stay sitting there any longer, so she got up and followed her.

“My child, ever since you became pregnant, the Empress has exempted you from the morning greetings, so that you could rest and recuperate in the palace. You live alone in Lingxiang Pavilion, and no one bothers you. How could you be so worried that you have harmed the fetus?” The Empress Dowager sighed helplessly. “You really are a real worry for me.”

"Aunt." Consort Xi's eyes reddened with grievance.

She glanced up at Physician Li and thought he was making a mountain out of a molehill, deliberately exaggerating in front of the Empress Dowager. She was just having severe morning sickness, how could he make it sound like she was about to miscarry?

Why was she so worried? It was because the Empress was making things difficult for her at every turn, insisting that she move from Xianfu Palace to Lingxiang Pavilion. This left her with no one to talk to during her pregnancy. She lived there alone, and the Emperor never visited her. It was like living in a cold palace. How could she not be upset?

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, Your Highness, I will immediately prescribe some medicine to help the princess take care of her health. However, Your Highness should also eat a lighter diet. In short, paying more attention to these things will be good for the imperial fetus." After giving his instructions, Physician Zhang withdrew.

The Empress Dowager seemed to have lost her earlier interest. Doctor Zhang, who had served in the palace for decades, was not only highly skilled in medicine, but also very knowledgeable in his speech.

Just as he just said, "Try to stay out as little as possible and avoid excessive worry, lest you harm the fetus."

He wouldn't say, "Thinking too much and being too active has affected the fetus."

Another saying goes, "You should still pay attention to keeping a peaceful mood to avoid upsetting the fetus."

He wouldn't say, "I'm always angry, and it's affecting the baby."

However, when these veiled words fell into Consort Xi's ears, she simply thought that Physician Zhang was just reminding her to be careful about something, and she didn't understand his implied meaning at all.

But just because she doesn't understand doesn't mean the Empress Dowager or the Empress don't understand.

The Empress Dowager's face darkened. "Zhang Mama, go find a sedan chair and send Consort Xi back to the palace."

"Yes," Zhang Mama replied.

"I think the servants in Lingxiang Pavilion are useless. They know that Consort Xi is prone to overthinking during her pregnancy, but they don't even try to comfort her. If anything goes wrong with Consort Xi's pregnancy, I will not spare any of the servants in Lingxiang Pavilion." The Empress Dowager's eyes darkened. "Zhang Mama, find two palace maids from Cining Palace to escort Consort Xi back to Lingxiang Pavilion and have them stay there to take good care of her."

“Aunt…” Consort Xi sat up straight, wanting to say something, but the Empress Dowager didn’t give her any chance to speak.

Meanwhile, the servants carrying the sedan chair had already brought it to the palace gate.

Xi Guiren: ...

Consort Xi glanced towards the door, her expression full of dissatisfaction.

What exactly is wrong with the Empress Dowager? Why is she siding with outsiders? Doesn't she really know that she is from her own family and that she is her niece?
Emperor Yuanwu is coming over for lunch soon, so why did she have someone send her back at this time? Couldn't she have finished lunch before leaving? Is it really that much less time?