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

Chapter 301 Death with a Rod
Emperor Yuanwu had just punished him with thirty slaps. If he could just slap those thirty times in front of Emperor Yuanwu, would the emperor's anger subside? He didn't care at all what he had done wrong. After serving in the harem for so many years, if his master said he was wrong, then he was wrong. He had that much awareness.

In order to appease Emperor Yuanwu, he struck with real force, and after just a few slaps, his cheeks swelled up and bright red blood seeped from the corners of his lips.

What he saw before him not only left Emperor Yuanwu unmoved, but even made him feel that the giant figure had spoiled his appetite.

Emperor Yuanwu cleared his throat and let out a very irritated final sound.

Gao Da was stunned, and his raised hand froze in mid-air.

Emperor Yuanwu remained silent with a dark expression. Gao Da was also unsure whether to continue fighting or stop. He looked helplessly at the crowd, his gaze finally settling on Wu Jixiang.

Wu Jixiang showed no intention of helping him. He simply felt that whatever Gao Da said at this moment was right or wrong. Before Gao Da completely angered Emperor Yuanwu, he should be dealt with quickly so that he wouldn't be implicated if he really angered Emperor Yuanwu.

After all, an angry emperor is not easy to serve; one wrong move and you could lose your head.

“Lord Gao is confused.” After saying this, Wu Jixiang glanced at Emperor Yuanwu. Seeing that Emperor Yuanwu’s expression did not change much, he continued, “You came to Kunning Palace to deliver dinner. How can you let the Emperor eat alone? Lord Gao has forgotten that the Empress lives in Kunning Palace.”

With just a few simple words, Gao Da's eyes lit up with sudden enlightenment. "This servant deserves to die, this servant deserves to die, this servant invites Your Majesty and Empress to dine."

Shen Qingwan calmly walked to the food tray and sat down. Just then, the kitchen brought out the prepared meal. She placed one bowl of the prepared sauce in front of herself and the other in the seat where Emperor Yuanwu often sat.

Seeing that Shen Qingwan had no intention of paying attention to him, Gao Da knelt on the ground and took two more steps forward.

The charcoal fire on the pot on the plate was lit, and the pot of white meat was bubbling in the broth with pickled cabbage. The original aroma of the meat filled the palace.

Emperor Yuanwu raised his eyes and glanced at the food plate. "Gao Da has shown great disrespect to the Empress. Drag him out and have him beaten to death."

"Yes." Wu Jixiang seemed to have anticipated Gao Da's fate. He was not surprised by Emperor Yuanwu's words at all. He simply followed the two guards and dragged Gao Da out. To prevent Gao Da's cries from offending the emperor's ears, he thoughtfully grabbed a piece of coarse cloth used for wiping tables and stuffed it into Gao Da's mouth.

The cries and screams completely disappeared from the Kunning Palace before Emperor Yuanwu rose and sat down opposite Shen Qingwan. "Is the Empress satisfied with my decision?"

"Does Your Majesty wish me to be happy, or do you wish me to be unhappy?" Shen Qingwan asked, turning her head to the side.

"The Empress is so intelligent that nothing can be hidden from her." Emperor Yuanwu couldn't help but sigh. "If it were any other concubine in the palace, they would have been overjoyed and cheering when they saw that I had punished those who disrespected them. But the Empress can see through things at a glance."

Shen Qingwan smiled faintly, "Your Majesty has long wanted to punish Gao Da, so why punish me and her instead? It only makes me look bad in the harem." "Although I have punished Gao Da today for his disrespect towards you, he has been in the harem for so many years, and he and Consort Xian are in cahoots. He even deliberately sent you food that was incompatible with your diet, causing you to fall seriously ill. I have seen and remembered all of these things. The reason I have not punished him is simply because the time is not right. It is not because I am blind or deaf, or because I am deliberately biased towards Consort Xian."

Shen Qingwan was slightly taken aback. She had eaten something that was incompatible with the food from the Imperial Kitchen. Although it had alarmed the Imperial Hospital and nearly cost Zhen'er her life, she had not mentioned the food incompatibility to Emperor Yuanwu.

She wasn't surprised that Emperor Yuanwu knew about this, because it involved Consort Xian. Even if she didn't say anything, it didn't mean that others wouldn't. However, Shen Qingwan was indeed somewhat surprised that Emperor Yuanwu had remembered this matter until now.

Shen Qingwan picked up the teacup, touched both hands to Emperor Yuanwu's face, and said, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Emperor Yuanwu slightly raised his eyes, meeting Shen Qingwan's gaze across half a table. Her slightly sleepy eyes were as deep and calm as a lake, and he could even see his own reflection in them.

After a while, Emperor Yuanwu finally raised his hand and took the teacup that Shen Qingwan handed him. "Your Majesty can rest assured. If anyone in the harem makes any unfounded accusations because of this matter, I will not tolerate it and will punish them severely, no matter who it is."

Shen Qingwan wasn't really worried. She just disliked the feeling of being used by Emperor Yuanwu without a second thought. With the Empress Dowager's protection, although the Imperial Kitchen had always been controlled by the Gao family, apart from that one time, they never seemed to neglect her. Whenever she asked for food, the Imperial Kitchen would send her the freshest food.

However, good times are coming to an end and bad times are bound to come. Under the protection of the Pang family, the Gao family rose steadily through the ranks. If it weren't for General Pang, let alone being the head of the imperial kitchen, they would probably have had a hard time even opening a restaurant in the capital.

This is what people often say: fortunes change every thirty years, and who can guarantee that they won't be the next one to change?

Emperor Yuanwu took a sip of the tea that Shen Qingwan handed him, glanced down at it, and said, "Why does today's tea taste a bit bitter to me?"

"Hmm?" Shen Qingwan looked up in surprise. "The tea I usually brew for His Majesty is green tea. Today I brewed some newly presented Pu'er tea. Perhaps I accidentally added too much honeysuckle when I was brewing the tea, or perhaps the Pu'er tea was brewed for too long. It is inevitable that it tastes bitter. I will have someone brew a fresh cup of tea for His Majesty."

Emperor Yuanwu nodded and casually handed over the teacup in his hand. Wu Jixiang followed the guard out to handle Gao Da's matter. Su Tianhe reached out and took the teacup, quickly retreating. Soon, a new cup of tea was presented to Emperor Yuanwu. Not only was the tea changed, but even the cup was replaced.

Drinking tea while eating is actually not good, but Emperor Yuanwu seemed to have gotten used to it. Every time he came to Kunning Palace for a meal, there was always a pot of osmanthus tea on the plate.

He never used to drink flower tea, but every time he came to Kunning Palace, he was served osmanthus tea, and over time, he seemed to have come to like it.

However, at some point, the osmanthus tea on the table in Kunning Palace disappeared, replaced by a pot of tea with honeysuckle.

Perhaps Shen Qingwan had already finished drinking last year's osmanthus wine, but autumn still seemed far away...